My Light
by Midnight-sayasha
Summary: Pit's Dark side is tormenting the soul of our beloved Angel. Everyone noticed save for one Blue haired swordsman, but what could he possibly do to help? IkeXPit, rated M for later chapters. !COMPLETE!
1. Chapter 1

Chapter story~ chapter story~ This one I hope will come to an end, unlike my previous stories, just picked back up with 'Naruto- the lost chapters')

Alright! Another IkeXPit story~ maybe some lemon in chapters in the distant future~

Disclaimer: Pit, Ike, Master Hand and any other character that is involved with, or is in Super Smash Brothers, does not belong to me. If they did, you think that Roy would be gone?!?!

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Pit flinched away from the dark shadow looming infront of him, closing his eyes and willing the voice to dissappear.

_"Dissappear like the rest of your light?" _It hissed, walking slow circles around him. Pit shook his head quickly and the form chuckled, the low, chilling sound echoing in the darkness that Pit feared would swallow him.

Pit yelped lightly as it touched him, frezing him to the spot, forcing him to open his eyes and face the same but twisted cerulean orbs smirking back at him.

"I won't break, I-I won't break to you!" Pit strangled out as menicingly as possible, the other wasn't fooled by his attempt at hiding his fear. The cold breath washed over Pit's face as it chuckled and leaned in to his ear, _"Oh yes Pit, you will." _It replied, licking along his jaw.

Pit attempted to shove the other away, hating the sick feeling every small slither of contact would bring, tingling all the way to his soul-tormenting his very sanity- but the dark angel's iron grip did not falter.

_"Because by then..." _It whispered, moving to fix Pit's terrified expression with it's own smug sneer before moving in closer to break the distance, "_You will be mine."_

_---------_

Pit covered his mouth to strangle the petrified scream which tore through his lips the second his eyes flew open. As he lay in his bed, he could hear his heart pounding in his ears and felt as if he would throw up, every place the _thing _in his dream had touched tingled with a chilling cold.

Pit kept his eyes wide as he began to shiver, tears spilling down his cheeks and trying to gain control of his ragged breathing. _again, that same dream...again. _He thought sickly, screwing his eyes shut as he tried to warm some friction onto his lips, the last place the fiend had touched.

A shudder tingled down his spine when he recalled the fiends appearance. The darker but same wild hair he had come to recognise after the dreams had started- the deep cerulean eyes he knew all to well, and the snide smirk he wished he would never see reflected in another's eyes-The exact resemblance of himself.

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"Hey look! there he goes!"

Ike dully loked up in time to see the pair of white wings dissappearing behind a slamming door, and it seemed he wasn't the only one to look up. Sonic whistled, shrugging, "Quite a fast getaway, did you see that?" Ness shook his head in amazement, "The battle didn't even last that long either."

"But did you see _that_?" Link asked, walking over, Sonic looked at him, "See what?" He asked.

"Like, halfway through, pit stopped- you know, when he put his hand over his mouth?" Link asked, miming it. "Oh, yeah! it looked like he was about to hurl or something," Sonic agreed.

Ike glanced back at the door. "Pit _has _been acting strange lately." He mumbled. Sonic snorted, "_Strange? _have you even tried to have a conversation with him lately Ike?! he's all shifty-eyed and twitchy, he doesn't even pay attention!" Sonic laughed.

Ike frowned, the last time he talked to Pit was after the tournament, he seemed perfectly fine then.

"Yeah- Samus told me something-" Link said, hushing his voice down for drama. "Do tell." Sonic snickered. Link waved a hand infront of his face dissmissivly, "Well, she had a conversation with him not too long ago, poor guy nearly collapsed- she said he looks horrible- like the living dead. But she said what was really strange was him continuously muttering something like 'get away from me' and 'shh! she'll hear you!'"

Sonic laughed, "Maybe Samus was the one hearing things!", Link frowned, "No, listen- She said when she tried to help him stand he nearly screamed before running away. She has no idea what she did, she's been freaking out about it for a while now, she thinks she hurt him."

Sonic put a hand to his chin in thought, "I think...this needs some investigation." He murmered. "No." Ike snapped, the three boys looked at him. "You think pushing Pit if he's hiding something will make the situation any better?" Ike explained. Ness looked down, "But its just weird. Pit never used to act like this, everyone's thinking about it-" Ness notioned to everone around him, "'_What's up with pit?' _they're all wondering."

Ike stared at Ness before shaking his head slowly and swiftly leaving the room.

-----

The Pokemon trainer stopped mid stride to look over his shoulder, Ike was just standing at the battle boards, staring.

"Hey, whats up?" He asked in greeting, stepping up and looking at his own schedual. Ike grunted in responce. Pokemon trainer clicked his tounge as he flipped up a page, "Hey, you've got a battle in a few minutes, you could be late if you stick around here." He said, turning to Ike, suprised to see the swordsman gone. "Ike?"

"Peach-" Master Hand Idly called, the princess happily giggling, "Lucas-" He continued to role, Lucas nodded lightly, "Ike-" Ike pushed his way through the crowd of other brawlers who were going to spectate the match, waving his hand up to notify Master hand of his presence, "And Pit." He finished.

silence.

"Pit?" Master hand called again, the crowd looking around, as did the three present competitors.

The door at the back Ike had previously entered slammed open and the small angel quickly made his way through the crowd, trying to avoid contact but pushing people aside none the less. "H-Here." He stammered to Master Hand, keeping his eyes downcast and looking everywhere else.

"Alright then, resume your positions." Master Hand boomed, moving away as the four began to move toward the battle field.

Ike stole a glance down at pit, before moving off stiffly. _No wonder everone talks._ He thought to himself, pushing the face aside, _wait until the end of the battle. _He agreed with himself.

He jumped up effortlessly onto the platform oppisite a large TV, extending a had to peach and lucas to help them up, but when he offered it to Pit, the angel merely jumped up onto the platform, not even sparing the bluenette a glance.

Ike ignored how the angel stumbled for now, "How many lives?" He asked Master Hand as he sat down in one of the pod-like chairs. "Five, items on." Master Hand replied, "Ok then," He mumbled, watching the other competitors get into the pods.

Fox jumped up and began to fiddle with buttons at a station near the pods and Ike watched as a clear glass came down on him. He pulled on his headset and leant back, He could hear peach slightly yawn in her capsule and Lucas fretting with the cords to the headset, but he couldn't hear anything from the angel.

_Odd. _He queried to himself as he flicked the headset on, _Pit's usually the one yelling out taunts at the beginning of these things._

"Good luck." He head Lucas' muffled voice through his headset, he slightly smiled, "Don't pucsh yourself too hard." He advised before his vision was blanked with white.

"Three, Two, One- Go!"

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The form of their fights is based on something like Angelic Layer, just incase you were wondering.

Review~ I very much like reviews~


	2. Chapter 2

Little longer than the last chapter? Maybe? Yes? I don't know. This chapter...hard to write in Pits tormented state, I confused myself a few times, that's why he kind of trails off.....Third chapter might be a delay, I need to figure out what'll happen next...=3

Disclaimer- I don't actually know what 'disclaimer' means, and now I'm going to look it up. Super Smash Brothers, Pit and Ike do not in any way belong to me. They belong to Nintendo...and fire emblem...and earthbound...and all the others.

Review!!!

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Ike pulled off his headset and pushed the pod's glass off; he ached dully- but nothing too serious; He gave a glance over to Lucas and slightly smiled.

"Nice use of items," He commented.

Lucas smiled shyly back, "Nice defence."

Ike paused as Pit practically flew past him and clambered to his feet, jumping down the platform and running after the angel- wise brawlers quickly got out of their way.

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"_Pit_! Wait a second!" Ike called as the angel stumbled round the corner and nearly fell, catching himself heavily on the wall's surface. Ike stopped next to him, slightly panting.

Pit was panting much more harshly, and struggled to get his footing back. Ike reached down to help Pit, but Pit ripped himself away from Ike's touch, staring at him.

Ike stared back at the boy, Pit's eyes were wide and dull, not bright and lively like the last time he'd seen him. His hair was more matted and unkempt than he remembered; framing his unusually pale face and the dark bags under his eyes- he was swaying even as he leant against the wall.

"Pit, is everything alright?" Ike asked, trying to sound friendly, he didn't socialize much, and he would _like _to keep it that way, but he can't ignore this.

Pit slightly twitched and began looking around. "Y-Yes, Ike, everything is a-alright," Pits voice was wavering and he was nervously rubbing his hands together, looking around frantically.

Ike might have been oblivious about Pit's condition before, but that lie had no chance under Ike's steady gaze.

Pit whimpered and backed into the wall as Ike took a cautious step forward, "Are you _sure _everything is alright? You don't look to good,"

Pit bit his tongue, wishing to interrupt his elder, but knew better. He swayed a little and slammed his hands against the wall behind him to prevent himself from falling, how he wished to tell someone what that demon was doing to him- to seek help out of the madness.

Ike continued to gaze down on Pit, the angel's eyes darting back and forth, in and out of focus. "Pit," the angel cringed and brought his tired eyes up to Ike's, "I think you should go see a doctor or something, you look sick."

Pit cringed again as a cold feeling washed over him, his knees buckled and Ike caught the boy before he collapsed to the floor.

_"He's a nice guy, limber and strong- you should take him, Pit." _

Pit shuddered as the voice ran though his veins. He screwed his eyes shut and weakly shoved Ike away.

Ike tried to lift the boy, but Pit flapped his wings mercilessly, sending loose feathers flying in the air, making the task impossible.

"No...Ike...let me go..." Pit weakly commanded, his wings giving up.

_"there we go- he's nice and close now- let me out, I promise not to hurt him~_"

"If I let you go, you'll fall to the ground," Ike irritably pointed out, shaking a feather from his hair. Pit still weakly struggled against him.

"No...No...Don't..." He was gasping, Ike was about to ask when Pit shrieked, _"__**Just take me to my room Ike!!"**_

The shock made Ike's hold on Pit give way and the Angel dashed down the hall, leaving the swordsman bluntly confused, and maybe even a little hurt.

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"_Smooth moves my angel."_

I groaned, slumping against my door, my cold, hard, door. The motion hurt my wings terribly after the match- never had I had to fly so _far_ and for so _long_ in a match.

But I didn't mind- that was a door I could go in and out of, as freely as I pleased.

I could also lock people out. But not now; I don't even have the freedom to leave here anymore.

"_Quiet little boy today, aren't we?"_

It would be fine, as long as I don't fall asleep, it can't get me if I'm awake; Can't do those horrible things to me, if I stay awake.

But I can't stay awake forever. And _that _scares me more than anything.

"_Come on….let me out…we can have some fun~"_

"Your idea of fun is everything but," I mumbled, clamping hands over my ears. Not that it would do any use ignoring the _thing_.

"_I meant, __**I **__have fun in __**your **__body, you can watch if you like,"_

"Shut up!!" I screamed at the voice, it disappeared for a brief moment, and for that brief moment, I felt…hope. Then its chilling laugh came back to me and that glimmer was shattered.

_"He's been standing out there for a while, my angel~"_

I felt every part of my body slowly freeze- it was right, he was out there...listening.

"I...Ike?" I asked, my voice catching. Strange...the _things_ voice wasn't teasing me any further?

"Pit, is everything ok in there?" Came his deeper voice, concerned, I could _hear_ his hands clamp around the doorknob.

I wrapped my arms around myself- pulling my legs to my chest. I was scared- if it was gone, it would come back- fresh and ready to torment me even _more._ I...I want to tell him.....to...to tell someone what's happening.....b-but if I do-

"Pit? Please Pit, open the door."

"N...No." I whimpered back, burrowing my head in between my legs...I felt sick...

But he kept persisting...my resistance wasn't too strong after his fourth plead....

So...quietly I got up...but it wasn't _that_ quiet, I fell against the door with a very loud thud, it hurt too...but I opened it in the end and fixed Ike with my coldest glare.

It must have turned out wrong; his eyes showed even more concern now.

"Pit, you look...terrible, we need to take you to a doctor-"

"No, Ike. Please." I pleaded, I could hear my voice waver, and my throat went dry too- it...stung a little. Then followed a few tears brimming my eyes.

He let himself into my room and pushed me to my bed. Huh. I should have cleaned up my room if I was going to have company...I never did pick up that pillow in the corner of the room...or fix that mirror...

He sat me down and put his hands on my shoulders, looking into my eyes. It was one of the most uncomfortable things I've experienced- his _eyes _boring into my soul.

"Pit. Tell me what's going on."

He said it like an order. But his question wasn't important right now- I have things to work out- why wasn't that cold feeling going through me, like when Samus and everyone else touch me? Why...why do I suddenly feel...emptier than ever....

But why do I feel.....

That's not important! Wait- what? What did he say? He...he wants an answer?

"I-I'm sorry, Ike, what?"

I feel stupid. I shouldn't have let him in. Why isn't that _thing _here so I have an excuse for not listening...Why is Ike so concerned _anyway_? I haven't done anything outstanding for him- I haven't even _talked_ to him much!

"Pit, _tell _me. You're destroying yourself!"

I could feel the shudder run through me. To prove his point, he ran his hand down my wing, collecting a handful of loose feathers; he showed them to me, letting them drop into my lap. I let another, smaller shudder run through me- that shouldn't have felt so good.

I could feel myself trying to answer him, but I couldn't actually…I-I didn't know I was doing it- but I still managed to say something when my mind caught up.

"I-I...I'm sorry, Ike. Please....leave...."

My eyes...they...hurt, was I crying? Ike also looked rather...could that be right? But he let my shoulders go and slowly headed out the door.

When it slammed shut, I saw the ground rushing up to greet me.

And that cold voice was waiting too.


	3. Chapter 3

Yay! Third chapter! *dances* wow, writing Dark Pit is gonna make me angry- you know that little squiggly line you can write, the key under the Esc key? It won't work for me on here. And Dark Pit uses that a lot! (Dark Pit doesn't make an appearance at all in this chapter, sad D= he'll be back next chapter.)

Hum, ok. Yes. This starts of in Ike's POV. Yeah, I had to do some research on Ike *sobs* apparently he has a sense of humour?? I'm not funny, unless there's something to go on from.

Disclaimer: The characters mentioned in this story do not belong to me; they belong to Nintendo, Fire Emblem, Kid Icarus, Earth Bound and Sonic the Hedgehog. Thank you.

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It was a few days since then. I hadn't seen the kid for a while...maybe I shouldn't have left?

People here are so strange; some come up to me and engage into a conversation, others they stay away, I didn't think I would be one of those people, not really.

"So, Ike, there's been a rumour goin' round that you were in Pit's room," Sonic had said, messing with Ness' yo-yo. It was an interesting toy.

"I was," I replied, it wasn't the first time people had asked me about it; I think Samus started that rumour. tch.

"So how's he going? He hasn't left his room for a while," Link asked, "But, I'm not saying it was because of you- o-or anything,"

Did Link think that I would hurt him? Huh. "He...isn't himself."

"What do you mean- we already knew that! Anything _new_, he means," Sonic said, cleaning his ear. He probably does it so often because he isn't prone to listening.

"Well, I don't think I have the right to say." I replied. And I truly didn't. I had no right to delve into Pit's private matters anymore.

"Sure you do, if everyone's worried about him an' all." Sonic replied, no longer interested.

I snorted, "But why should I tell you if you're going to make new rumors the poor kid doesn't really need to hear out of it?" I asked, a small smile giving way as I watched Sonic squirm.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. When Pit's ready He'll tell someone." Link said while leaning over the back of the couch we were lounging on.

"But what if when he's ready it's too late to do anything?" Ness had asked, playing with his yo-yo absently.

I could feel everyone tense at that, but I knew I was the one who reacted most. What if what _I _did made things worse for him? Oh, that's just _great._

But Sonic shakily laughed to break the silence, "Come on Ness, buddy- Pit's smart, he wouldn't leave it that long."

We all left it at that, a few nods, then back to silence.

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Later that evening, Ike collected his thoughts and traveled down the hall to Pit's room, He was worried about the Angel; worried enough to drag him out of that room if he thought Pit needed medical attention.

Ike knocked on Pit's door once, twice and a third time, loudly. He gave a few seconds before grabbing the doorknob. He knew it would be locked, but the locks were very easy to pick. He just needed the right smasher to help him.

He left to room as it was; if he could have it his way, he would smash the door down right now and drag Pit out, but no. That wouldn't help things.

Just as he was leaving to go find Samus, or Marth, or _someone_; the door opened a crack. Ike turned back around and met the scared cerulean eyes hiding in the shadows.

"Ike? Did you want something?"

As Ike saw Pit's slightly hollowed cheeks and how the Angel lightly swayed, he felt his self control snap. He heard it too- a small cracking sound.

Pit gasped as Ike stormed to him and grabbed his wrist, forcefully pulling him away from his room and down the hall.

Pit was blinking and stumbling from the sudden change of light, but he also knew what he had to say, to prevent any further harm to his already bruised body.

"I-Ike! You're going to break my wrist!" He gasped, trying to loosen the grip with his other hand. Ike chose to ignore him, only letting up a little bit.

Pit cried out softly as Ike half threw him into one of the kitchen chairs. "Stay. Here." Ike growled at Pit, Pit shuddered and gulped before nodding softly.

Ike dashed out of the room, leaving Pit disoriented, shaking in the chair.

Marth and Link had been in the next room over and had seen everything.

"What should we do?" Link asked the bluenette, backing back into the room and crossing his arms, the other swordsman staying at the threshold.

"Hmm, Ike seems to know what he's doing. But I highly doubt that Pit will stay seated in that spot for too long." Marth replied, scratching his head a little, "We should go out there."

Marth turned to see Links reaction, Link looked away, "Well, you can if you want- I mean, if Pit runs off, I don't wanna be blamed, especially by Ike- that guy's scary when he's angry." He stuttered out.

Marth rolled his eyes before walking out, Link trying to grab his arm to pull him back, but failing.

"Pit?" Marth asked gently, slowing down cautiously.

The angel's head snapped to him, Marth held back his slight gasp; he'd seen people in this state before, but not Pit.

Pit was rubbing his hands up and down his upper arms, his fists clenched- Marth guessed that his nails were biting into his skin. But he could also detect dried tears lining streaks down Pit's face.

"Oh Pit- what happened?" Marth asked, drawing up a chair next to the young angel. Pit froze slightly in his chair and started fidgeting, averting his gaze.

"N-Nothing, Marth. Absolutely nothing." He replied shakily, Marth sighed lightly and moved his hand to rest it gently on Pit's shoulder, but seeing the angel flinch away, he let his hand drop back into his lap.

"We both know that's a lie." He said quietly. Pit didn't reply. "What happened? I promise you, I won't tell anyone." He bargained. Still, Pit didn't respond.

Marth looked up as he heard his name being called- the caller walking into the room, before abruptly stopping.

"You wanted something Ike?" Marth asked slightly confused, Ike tutted.

"Mario isn't here right now, you're the only other person I could think of who had medical training." Ike responded, lightly scratching his head.

Marth grimaced, "I only learnt basic first-aid Ike," He corrected.

Ike tutted again, "But can you check Pit out? He looks sick," Ike asked.

Marth looked back at Pit, who shied away from the darker blue eyes, before letting out a long sigh. "I'm sure it's nothing serious, maybe fatigue from sleep deprivation and lack of nutrition." He replied.

Ike stared at Marth for a few moments, "Oh, o-oh, right." He replied. Marth sighed again.

"Get pit a glass of water, will you Ike?" Ike nodded slightly before walking into the kitchen.

Marth watched Ike before looking back to Pit, "Now, are you hungry Pit?" Marth asked, reaching out slowly for Pit's wing. Pit tried not to flinch away this time, they _were _trying to help.

"S-Sort of?" Pit replied as Marth stretched his wing out to its full length and examined his feathers. Pit winced as Marth lightly pulled on a feather, the small bit of white coming out easily.

"Pit, have you been starving yourself from basic needs?" Marth asked, examining the feather while Ike came back into the room. Pit didn't respond.

"So what can you say?" Ike asked.

Marth glanced at him, passing him the small feather. Ike took it and examined it, puzzled. "Do feather's usually feel that rough Ike?" Marth asked, prodding down Pit's wing and arm.

"No..." Ike replied; rubbing the feather between his fingers and watching as it slightly crumbled into his hand. He watched with a slight awe. Marth glanced back at him again.

"Mario will be able to do something about his fatigue, and we can only treat his most basic needs, like hunger. Excuse me." Marth said getting up from his chair and going to the kitchen.

Ike was still staring at the feather while Pit shifted uncomfortably, letting his wing droop against his side.

"Pit, why are you doing this to yourself?" Ike asked, his brow creasing in confusion. Pit looked away, shifting again.

"I…" He started, Ike was a little surprised- he wasn't expecting an answer.

Pit shook his head, his emotions playing against his face- worry, confusion, anger, fear. He shook his head once again, looking up, "I…I'm not doing this for my sake." He replied, his voice shaking.

"Then why?" Ike asked.

Pit looked at him sadly. "I'm….doing it to protect…" He didn't finish his sentence, looking away.

Ike was confused but shook it off, putting the glass of water in front of Pit, "Drink it; your throat must be throbbing." He said.

Pit glanced at him, before shakily reaching out for the glass. Ike watched before deciding to help a little, putting a hand under the glass and another around it so Pit wouldn't drop it. Pit glanced at him, before moving his other hand up to pull the glass to his lips.

Ike watched sadly, so Pit couldn't even grip things properly? This would need some time...

He was pulled back from his thoughts as Pit lightly choked, bringing his hand away as he coughed. Ike lightly smiled, "Not too fast," He said, Pit glaring at him lightly.

Marth came back into the room then, scratching the back of his head, "Ike?"

"Yeah, what Marth?"

"I just called Mario, and…well, he said he can't be back for a week at the most..."

Ike looked up at Marth, "What? Where is he??" Marth looked away.

"He's auditioning for another gam-I'll go see if anyone else can help?" Marth drawled off, moving out of the room quickly as Ike glared at him.

Pit lightly sighed, Ike looking back to him.

"Ike…I'm tired…" He said, his voice losing volume as he slightly drooped in his seat. Ike hurriedly put the glass down and caught Pit before he fell off his chair.

Ike watched Pit lightly before picking him up and taking him into the next room, shocked to find Link next to the door- looking as if he had been caught doing something wrong. He let it slide though as he placed Pit on the couch.

"Pit, why are you doing this to yourself?" He asked the sleeping angel as he took off his cape and draped it over the boy.

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Tra-la-la. It's done for now, longest one I've written so far, but its still so short, though I'm not happy with the ending. How many more chapters can I make out of this…? I'm guessing around six. Or something.


	4. Chapter 4

Oh god, cruel opening, happy ending. I'm telling you now, I apologize for the end. It shall be explained!! Yay, Dark Pit.

Long chapter for delay, enjoy!

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"_This is my way of saying welcome back."_

Pit screamed sickly and doubled over. The feeling forcing the air out of him, and it was getting harder and harder to breathe. But the worst was past him....for how long, the angel wondered.

The dark mirror image sighed contently, _"It really annoys me when that boy comes around, you seem so happy." _It sighed again, leaning down and capturing Pit's chin and yanking his gaze to meet his own,

"_But in a way, it excites me too-"_ He purred, "_You're so happy when he comes around- I get such pleasure out of bringing you back down."_

Pit let out a shaky breath and sucked in all the air he could, it was musty and strong- Pit coughed most of it back up.

"You're sick," He replied, the other boy just chuckled and shrugged,

"_I'm you." _

Pit flinched away, snapping his head out of the cold hand. "I'll never be like you," Pit shuddered, turning his whole body away from the other, fidgeting his hands desperately against their binds.

"_Exactly, that's why." _It replied.

Pit looked up, trying to gasp in more, musty oxygen "Why what?"

"_Why I need to, forcefully, be you."_

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Pit's eyes snapped open and he squirmed under the heavy weight on top of him. He let out a shriek, but it was muffled into the cream and red cloak draped over him.

He slowly stopped, pushing the tangled fabric off from on top of him and took a gulp of air, clambering up into a sitting position.

"You're awake."

Pit froze and snapped his body towards the voice, his wings twitching hard. Ike stared back at him, arms and legs crossed on a chair a few feet away from the couch, some odd feathers in his hair once again.

Pit then glanced around the room, where a more feathers here and there were scattered, but most of the fluffy white covered the swordsman's cloak which was now crumpled on the ground.

As Pit calculated things in his mind, Ike drew his chair closer and leaned forward, fixing the small angel with a blank stare. It took Pit a few moments to meet the crystal blue eyes.

"What were you dreaming about? It...didn't sound...pleasant." Ike asked, trying to keep his voice even.

Pit twitched and shuddered; Ike carefully picked up his cloak and wrapped it around the boy. "Will you tell me? Or is it personal?" he asked.

Pit shook his hair out of his eyes and pulled the cloak tighter around himself, ignoring the crushed feeling in his back. "I...I can't tell." Pit replied, his voice cracking. Ike leant back in his chair and Pit shook his head again,

"I...I want to tell you...!" He gasped, burrowing his face into the cloak, Ike slightly froze up, "B....Believe me...!" He sobbed, "I r-really do..."

Ike sighed heavily and pushed his hand through his hair before leaning back over and wrapping an arm around the younger, pulling him to his chest and rubbing his arm. "Come on, don't cry..." He said awkwardly.

Pit felt as if he was back in his dream, but this dream had no fiend waiting for him...it didn't involve such torture. Pit leant into the kind gesture, taking shaky breaths to control himself once again- one wrong word and he might lose control of his emotions.

"I...I'm sorry, Ike. I really want to tell..._anyone_." He said, his voice muffled and a little strangled. Ike looked away and moved his other hand through his hair again,

"Really," He stated, trying to avoid an awkward silence. Pit lifted his head,

"I...want to tell someone, to share this...stress." He stated, struggling with words, "But..." He looked away, flexing his wings a little under the fabric, "I...I'm...scared."

Ike looked down and Pit dove his head back into the fabric.

"Scared?" He asked. Pit didn't reply. Ike sighed and moved his arm, leaning down to pit's eye level, the angel cringing away.

"Pit, why are you scared?" Ike asked, frowning. Pit fidgeted. "Pit, is it....me, you're afraid of?" Ike asked, a little hurt, sure he might be intimidating, but even the most gentle brawlers feared him?

Pit snapped his head up and fixed Ike with an almost horrified stare, "No! no! I'm not afraid of you! if anything I-" He cut himself short, looking away, before starting again, "No, I'm not afraid of _you_, Ike. I...I'm afraid of what _it _might do to me..."

Ike's frown deepened, "_Who _Pit?" He asked, making his voice extremely soft, trying a gentle approach. It seemed to work. Pit looked down at his lap, pulling his arms around his legs under the cloak and hugging them tightly,

"_It._" He replied, staring ahead.

Ike still didn't get it, but Pit's determined gaze was making him a little uncomfortable- those soft, kind eyes holding a hint of _spite?_

Ike turned his own attention, following the direction of Pits gaze, and found himself looking at two pairs of blue eyes staring back in the mirror, reflecting Pit's and his own.

"It?" He repeated again, as if now he would understand, it only made him more confused.

From the mirror he could see Pit scowl and look away, "D...Don't worry about it, Ike." He mumbled.

From Pits tone, Ike decided to well and truly drop the subject. Pit's stomach growled loudly and the angel flushed in embarrassment, trying to drown out the sounds with his arms. Ike laughed lightly,

"Ok, enough of that, food for the boy." He declared, then added, "And then a shower for you, your hair is..." He couldn't come up with a word so he waved it off and stood up, extending a hand to Pit.

Ike led the way to the kitchen where he found Red and Peach cooking. Red looked up and smiled, "Hey, Pit! been a while, you want to help?" He had chocolate splattered on his cheek and Peach was putting small roses made of red and blue icing on a cake.

"What's the occasion?" Ike asked, confused.

Red smiled, "You don't know? It's Samus' birthday tomorrow! We're making a cake for her while Marth and Zelda keep her busy," He laughed.

Peach giggled, "Marth decided that this would be part of his present to Samus, they're having a manicure session." She said happily. Ike smirked,

"Not disappointed you miss out?" He asked, pulling Pit to the fridge, Peach smiled and giggled again,

"I had mine done this morning, Marth wanted me to bake the cake." she replied happily.

Red frowned, "So, what was all the-" Ike glared at him instantly and he shut up, going back to helping peach.

"Do we have anything Pit can eat?" Ike asked Peach, who looked over her shoulder.

"Uhm...there should be some left overs from last night...why Gannon was so keen on saving them, I don't know." She replied, Ike pulling the fridge open and taking a look around,

"Is that it-_augh!_ I'll just get him a sandwich!" Ike yelped, coming across the mauled food, artistically arranged to look like a certain green robed elf.

Pit darted his hand into the fridge to stop Ike closing it, "It'll be fine..." He said lightly, staring at the meal for a few moments before bypassing it to grab an apple, _then _letting Ike close the fridge.

"You sure? You look famished." Ike stated, not going to let the Angel starve himself to...well, death.

"It'll be fine." Pit repeated, smiling softly, but even Red would have been able to tell it was forced.

Ike scratched the back of his head, "Well...ok..." He muttered. Pit forced his smile further,

"But can we go outside, Ike? I haven't seen the sun in a while."

Ike wondered if that statement was related to the 'Angel stuff' excuse he would use to get out of situations- before this occurred.

"Sure," Ike shrugged eventually, leading the way through the halls to the back of the mansion, but keeping a keen eye on the small angel in case he decided to break for it.

_Nah, he wouldn't try that, come on. He can barely keep his own weight walking. _Ike denied in his thoughts, pushing the large glass doors open and taking a few strides out into the clean, fresh air.

Ike stretched and yawned, his bones cricking from sitting in that chair all night long, Pit though, nearly _skipped _past Ike, standing in the small field of grass and looking up, stretching his wings.

Pit sighed and let his eyes close, holding the ruby red apple close to his heart, Ike watched as Pit's wings twitched every now and then, flapping a few odd moments, then going back to their still position, fully expanded.

Ike had nearly thought that they were alone, until a black and blue figure silently approached.

"Ah, Lucario." Pit murmured silently, not opening his eyes, but moving his head ever so slightly in the pokemon's direction.

Lucario nodded before silently replying with, "It is good to see you....well."

Ike was confused, they both acted so strange- Pit didn't mind Lucario's company, and the way Lucario had stated that...it didn't sound like any way the other Brawlers would have said it.

"It is good to feel well," Ike could pick out the small hint of sarcasm and remorse in Pit's statement.

Lucario nodded before walking past the angel, stopping briefly next to Ike, glancing back, and then continuing on his way.

Ike frowned lightly as he watched the respectable Pokemon walk away, before turning back to Pit, "Aren't you hungry?" He asked, seeing Pit didn't look as if he was going to touch the apple any more than he was.

Pit let his wings droop a little before turning and smiling genuinely at Ike.

Ike was shocked, Pit looked…so much more lively than…a few minutes ago. His face was a little rounder and fuller too, the bags under his eyes slightly gone.

"I am, but earth food…though it may help, isn't as good as nature's resources, like sunlight." Pit said, turning back to the sun.

Ike stood there frozen. _So…Pit's like a plant then?_ He shook the thought away, scratching his neck awkwardly. _I guess I should be glad anyway, he's smiling now, for however long it may be- I should enjoy this while it lasts._

Pit let his wings retract after a few minutes, smiling at Ike, who smiled back. _It's as if what had happened to him…never happened._ Ike thought sharply.

"Hey, Ike, since I'm not going to eat it, why don't we plant this??" Pit asked suddenly, looking at the apple excitedly.

Ike frowned, "I don't think we can." He stated.

Pit ignored Ike's remark and pulled the swordsman towards the middle of the field, then taking a look around and pushing Ike a few paces back happily.

"Watch this!" He said, fluttering away and onto his knees, holding the apple out and grinning as he brought it down, pushing it into the ground.

Ike watched in amazement as it seemed to morph then disappear; a small sprout growing in its place. Pit leapt to his feet and jogged to his side, smiling as Ike watched, his mouth gaping.

The tree grew, it wasn't normal. It was as if the growth had been fast forwarded; the trunk began to grow bigger and bigger, taller and taller, its branches reaching out overhead, before growing a veil of luscious green leaves.

It wasn't an apple tree, it was an oak tree.

"H…How did you do that??" Ike demanded, astonished.

Pit grinned, "The apple exchanged itself; I saved it." He poked his tongue out before running back to the tree, "It's happy here."

Ike let himself relax, smiling as he looked up at the leaves moving softly in the wind, "Yeah, I guess it is." He said. Pit smiled.

"Well then, you don't object!" Pit said happily, clasping his hands together in glee, "Ok! I've decided!"

Ike raised his eyebrows, "Decided what?"

"The tree's name! It will be Pike! It'll be our tree!" Pit said happily, skipping over and pulling Ike to the tree, pressing his hand to the rough, but soft, bark.

Ike softly smiled at the warmth radiating from the tree.

_I guess Pit'll be ok then…Pike, how did he come up with that? Heh._

_-----------------_

Said I'd explain that. Don't worry…this isn't the end…or even the middle yet, Pit just gets giddy from sunlight, he's been deprived of it for a while, he'll come back down. He won't be this happy at the start of the next chapter…oh great…what do I do now…hmmmm…


	5. Chapter 5

This might count as my Halloween chapter, I'm not going to be able to get that fanfiction done…or started. Enjoy, if you want to give me ideas for pit, do so, I like Ideas :)

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Ike found it amazing that even the next morning, and through the day, Pit was excited and happy. He had even begged Marth to take him shopping to get a gift for Samus' party later that night.

"Simply…amazing." Ike muttered as the angel and bluenette left the house. Sonic nodded in agreement,

"That sure was a fast recovery." He muttered back.

"Boys! Come in here!" Zelda scolded, Ike and Sonic clambering back into the lounge where the brawlers were setting up the decorations.

"Ike! You're tall! Can you help Kirby and Meta knight with the streamers?" Peach asked, shoving the orange and blue streamers into Ike's hands without waiting for a reply.

"Snake! Get out of your box!" Lucas was pleading while Ness climbed on top to reach the streamers and tie balloons on them.

Ike looked around before sighing, if it was enough to get out of battles and keep everyone happy, he guessed he could help.

Then Link bolted into the room, "Samus is coming!! We need to distract her!!" He yelled. Zelda gasped and started fretting.

"Don't worry!!" Sonic said quickly, "We'll take care of her, hurry up!" Luigi and Sonic then bolted out the door.

Peach turned to Gannondorf and asked for his help carrying the cake, Falco went on duty to make sure they wouldn't bump into anything.

"They didn't make a huge commotion like this for my birthday…" Red mumbled sadly, Ike pat his shoulder,

"Well, if Samus gets pushed too far, she gets angry." He explained lightly.

Red shrugged and went over to hide the presents under the cloth Marth had donated for the cause. Ike sighed lightly and crossed his arms, "Wonder if the guy will make it back in time, neither of them're good drivers..." He mumbled.

But Pit and Marth were back quite soon; Pit rushing his present under the cloth to hide it and poking his tongue out at Ike for the fun of it.

"Marth, go collect Samus now," Peach said happily, Marth groaned and slumped before doing as the princess asked.

Pit walked over to Ike and smiled, Ike smiled back, "What'd you get her?" Ike asked, Pit pouted.

"What did _you _get her?" He shot back.

"Eeeh, nothing much, me and Marth had some jewelry left over from our summer visit back home," Ike drawled, leaning against the wall, Pit pouted further,

"Well then, you'll _find out_ what I got her then."

Ike was going to retort when Sonic dashed in, "Hide, she's coming!"

Ike wasn't sure who cut the lights, but once they did, everything went pitch dark; he could barely see the outlines of people and things close to him. But he was very aware of movement close to him, hands searching for something.

The small hands and outline he recognized at Pits, and as his eyes became used to the dark, he noticed how wide Pit's eyes were. When Pit's hands found Ike's arm, he grabbed it and pulled himself close, Ike could hear, and feel, Pit's frantic gasping.

Though Ike pulled Pit with him as he searched for the door, he didn't have to search long as the light was switched back on and the brawlers screamed "Surprise!!" To Samus.

Ike left the brawlers to deal with Samus while he pulled the frightened angel with him out of the room.

"Pit, is everything alright??" Ike asked in a hushed whisper when they were in the hall, Pit not letting his iron grip falter, his eyes still wide.

"Y…yeah, everything's fine..." Pit shuddered, letting out a shaky breath.

Ike frowned lightly, "Pit, please tell me," Ike said quietly. Pit paused, letting out another breath,

"It was just…sudden, that's all." He shook off, "Let's get back to the party, Ike."

--------Pit POV--------

He's onto me now. He has been for a while I guess, but now he's persisting more…I can't keep this up either.

But he has lain off a bit, ever since yesterday…why didn't I have a dream last night?? Was it because of yesterday? Wait…didn't _it _say something about that? What did it say…something…about Ike?

"Ahhh!! ThankyouPit!!"

I nearly yelped as Samus tackled me, good thing I wasn't feeling too bad about the dark, or I might as well have.

Oh, she was referring to my present? I should thank Marth later for pointing that necklace out to me; I was in trouble back then.

Ah, Samus is gone, snap, couldn't wish her a happy birthday. Huh? Ike's looking at me again, hee, I should stop poking my tongue out at him; I see how it effects him, heee! But its fun!

Oh great, now I've done it. What did I do??

I tried to get away, to maybe converse, but nope, Ike caught me and dragged me out into the hall again, great. Was I showing too much expression? Why am I hyperactive now?!? WHY IS THIS?!

---------(end Pit POV)

Ike pulled Pit out into the hall and closed the door behind him, frowning,

"Pit, I'm serious now, tell me what's wrong." He said. Pit smiled sheepishly, lightly flushed.

"And I tell you everything is fine," Pit replied, giving his best smile. Ike frowned deeper,

"No, everything is not fine. Something's off." Ike replied.

It was Pit's turn to frown, "Off? What do you mean?"

Ike sighed and ran his fingers through his hair, leaning against the wall and looking up, Pit standing there and crossing his arms, waiting for an answer.

"I may not have noticed before, but I notice now. You're…different somehow, your smile…you're getting good at hiding the pain, but you shouldn't."

Pit just smiled at Ike, "What do I have to hide?" Pit asked innocently. Ike gave him a sad glance.

Pit's smile turned into a grimace, "Well Ike, would you rather me still in my room, fighting to stay awake, trying to stay in control?" He snapped, Ike jumped- every trace of the gentle angel from a few moments ago had been shredded to pieces.

"Pit, calm down-", Ike said, pushing off of the wall.

"No Ike! Don't tell me to calm down! I've been relatively calm all day!! You have no _idea_ what I go through!!"

Ike broke the distance between the angel and himself, putting a hand over Pit's mouth to muffle the boy's yells. "Pit, maybe if you'd tell me, I'd have an Idea, but please- calm down," Ike hushed.

Pit kept glaring when Ike didn't remove his hand, feeling his face grow hot as he started blinking rapidly. Ike tilted his head,

"No…no, Pit..." Ike breathed as tears began to appear in the corner of Pit's eyes.

Ike pulled Pit into a hug, partially to muffle the tears, partially to prevent Pit from running off again. He rubbed Pit's back carefully as Pit broke down.

"You have no right to tell me how I should act Ike." Pit said, hiccupping.

Ike rocked Pit back and forth, "I'm sorry." He apologized.

"You don't have to be sorry Ike." Pit replied.

Ike felt kind of stupid, had he overreacted? Pit was calm now, and was telling _him_ how to act.

"You can let go of me, Ike."

Ike blushed and let go of the angel, Pit flexing his wings, which had been crushed by the force of Ike's hug. Pit looked up at Ike with a blank expression, Ike looked back.

Pit shook his head lightly, looking down, "Sorry, Ike. I…snapped." He said quietly,

Ike scratched his neck, "I pushed you past your point." Pit shook his head,

"You were pointing out the truth; everyone's moved on but you, you wonder how I can go from rock bottom to this in less than a day." Pit replied. "You aren't as oblivious as you had once claimed to be."

Ike sighed, "Let's get back, but Pit..." Ike said as he moved back to the door, Pit looked up,

"Please tell me, I'll be here, and you _can_ trust me," Ike said, looking over his shoulder.

Pit lightly smiled, "I'll keep that in mind."

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Rambling. Two chapters in a night, but this one was shoooorrrtt. This was a ramble chapter, I needed Pit to snap in this soon, it wasn't a huge explosion like I would have liked. Hopefully this has sparked my imagination again~ I apologize if some of this didn't make much sense, next chapter will be better, but I'm tired right now….


	6. Chapter 6

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Chapter 6! Yataa!! Uhm…Yeah, happy pit….might be gone for a while. I needed to bring some drama and trauma back into this; I apologize before hand for any…pit damaging…

Disclaimer as always. Oh, and its in Ike's point of view first off…Yay, I really didn't want to put it in Pit's…yet.

--------TEASER----

_This wasn't right. This wasn't Pit._

_The faker ginned widely, his eyes squinting, glaring at me._

--------

I could make a collection out of all these white feathers. Seriously.

I grumbled to myself as I plucked another feather from my cape, I couldn't blame Pit, but it sure was annoying how the feathers crumbled as soon as they came _free_. Couldn't they crumble when I _touched_ them instead?

Though, _some_ of the feathers didn't crumble, some partially did. They were soft, softer than they'd been before, but still, they were dry and scratchy.

I sighed and threw my cape down, "I hate this!!"

Marth turned to glare at me. whoop-de-doo, he lost his page. "Could you be a bit more quiet, Ike?"

I grumbled and kicked the side of my bed. "You want silence, go read elsewhere!" I snapped. Marth sighed and put his book down.

"Penny for your thoughts? Why are you so angry?" He asked me, crossing his arms over his crossed legs, swiveling in his chair.

I was going to retort, but only the _feathers_ being a problem sounded…far-fetched.

"Is it Pit?" Marth asked, I shuddered and kicked my bed again.

"Ah, so that's it." Marth smirked, I grumbled at him, "It isn't your fault he isn't coming to see you Ike," Marth said, waving his hand.

"But it _is_ my fault he isn't coming out of his room." I replied flopping down on my bed and retrieving my cape, it was better than having nothing to do but talk to _this_ drama queen.

"Now who said that?" Marth asked, going back to his book. I didn't reply. No one knew about the little dispute we had in the hall. Well- maybe Lucario did, but he hasn't said anything.

I managed to go a solid minute in silence, plucking feathers, until Marth spoke again, breaking my concentration.

"You should go visit him; make sure he's ok."

I drawled out a sigh, picking out another feather and examining it as it crumbled; the small broken flakes of white floating down, before dissolving into thin air.

"I wouldn't want to breach his privacy." I murmured.

Marth slammed his book down onto the table and stormed over to me, "Alright! That's it! Your crazy mood swings are getting on my nerves!" He yelled at me.

…Probably angry because that's _his _thing.

"You, Ike, are getting up, and going to see Pit, right _no_w!" Marth commanded, pulling me to my feet and throwing me out of _my_-Uh…_our_ room.

He slammed the door on me, leaving me there, holding my semi-chicken cape, standing in my pajama bottoms and starting to freeze.

"Marth, unlock the door. It's cold out here, Pit's probably asleep anyway." I called, hitting the door a little, quietly, but he could hear me.

"No Ike! Go see Pit; I'm not letting you back in here!" Marth yelled; his high voice barely audible through the door.

Stupid prince.

So now I've been standing out here for about ten frozen minutes.

"Augh! _fine_!" I yelled, kicking the door before storming off, pulling my cape around my shoulders.

Stupid Prince, sticking his nose into other people's business..._sure_ he was handy in tight situations, and _might_ have some good advice- but this wasn't fair.

Pit probably wasn't even awake, such an absurd time to go visiting, midnight too. Keh.

I knocked on Pit's door twice, loud and seeming to echo in the silence that followed.

--------Pit's P.O.V.----

"_Wake up, fallen angel. Your prince has arrived."_

I groaned a little, squirming in my sheets, trying to block out the chilling voice. I wasn't ready to let it come back to me yet. I had only just gotten to sleep too….

"_You'll keep him out there? Tsk tsk, bad boy."_

I groaned and shot up on my knees, my head spinning from the action, now I felt sick. What did Ike want? He better have a good reason.

I kicked my sheets off and grumbled, hopping off my bed and to the door, opening it a crack. "Yes, Ike?" I asked, my anger subsiding a little, I wonder why. Maybe I imagined it.

Ike stood there, clad only in a pair of dark green silk pants and his cape. I felt myself blush, and saw he also went a little red; _I_ was only wearing my boxers.

"Hey, Pit. Marth kicked me out of my room." Ike said awkwardly, scratching his neck again. He does that a lot, does he know he's doing it or is it just a nervous reaction?

"Why?" I asked back, opening the door a little wider.

Ike growled and glared down the hall, "He wanted me to go talk to you. Did I wake you up?"

He seemed sad now, "Yeah, you did. But don't worry about it." I yawned and fully opened the door, letting Ike in.

I switched on my lights as Ike looked around. "You cleaned up?" He asked as I shut the door.

"Yeah, of course." I mumbled back, I wanted to get back to sleep, but now I had to postpone that.

I crossed my arms and we stared at each other in silence.

"Well, Ike? You came to talk." I pointed out. Ike shifted and sat down on my desk chair.

"No, _Marth_ wanted me to come and talk. _I_ just came to be able to get back into my room." He replied.

I flinched lightly. That sounded meaner then he probably meant it to. Even though I knew he didn't mean it, a part of me felt he did. That hurt.

"Pit, are you ok?" He asked, bringing my back from my thoughts.

"Y-yeah," I replied, why was my voice shaking? I shook my head to clear it; I only succeeded in making myself dizzy. I sat down quickly so I didn't stumble.

"So are you going back now?" I asked my voice quieter than normal. I'm pretty sure I was meant to _ask_ that, not make it sound like a plead for him to stay.

Ike scratched his neck again and looked off. "I don't think Marth'd believe me that I went to your room if I went back."

Good point.

"So how long are you staying then? I could give you something of mine to take back with you if you want." I stated. Ike sighed, running his hand through his hair- he was obviously very uncomfortable about being here.

"I would like to stay and…talk, if that's ok with you." He replied.

"Ok, talk about what?" I asked. He fidgeted.

He sighed again and I felt myself tense even before he started talking. "I'd like to talk about why you aren't coming out of your room again."

He was bluffing; he knew very well why I didn't want to see him. He really wanted to talk about everything before that.

"Well Ike, I find my room much more entertaining." I said sarcastically, trying to make him admit what he wanted to say, he just looked at me.

"Pit, Please." I knew what he was asking. But I'm not sure if I was ready to answer him yet.

"Ike…" I sighed, "I'll come to you when I'm ready, ok? Just…give it time, ok?" I said, looking down.

"_You won't need to worry about that for much longer, Pit."_

I felt the shudder run through me and felt every part of me freeze. But no, my wings had to twitch _just _that hard to make Ike rush to me.

I jammed my eyes shut, this was just _perfect._

"Pit? Are you alright?" He asked. I felt the bed shift and his arms around me, "Pit?"

Wait.

Why couldn't I answer him?

Wh…why did I suddenly feel…so far away? I…I can't move….! Wh-what's going on??!

--------Ike's P.O.V.----

"Pit?? Pit!" I stammered, shaking the boy. He had gone cold and wasn't uttering a sound, his lips moving soundlessly and his wings twitching a little.

What's wrong with him?? Why won't he answer? I shook him again.

I sighed shakily in relief as his eyes suddenly opened again.

Of course, I took back my sigh into a gasp not too long after.

"_What's wrong, Ike?"_ Pit asked, looking up at me.

This wasn't right. This wasn't Pit.

The faker ginned widely, his eyes squinting, glaring at me.

"_You're quick, __Pit doesn't give you much credit; I think you're quite smart- for a stupid little mortal." _It hissed.

I tried to move away, but I was frozen to the spot. It started to crawl on top of me, the very movement made my skin crawl.

"What have you done with him?" I growled, but my voice had made the threatening sentence sound more strained then I'd like.

The thing stopped, looking up, before smiling and pushing me down onto the bed softly. _"Oh, he's around. He never really left, I just switched places."_

"What do you mean?" I asked, my body still not responding. Damn it! Why couldn't I _move!_

The Pit in front of me tutted, _"You think Pit would let me have my fun on my own? Silly little boy, he's been trying to keep me trapped in here..."_ It said, moving its hand over its-no, _Pit's _heart.

"…_But, every time you say such mean things to him, it just makes it that little bit harder to keep in control."_ It drawled on, smirking, "_You should see how he acts around you, you're quite lucky. Too bad he won't be around to have you."_

My hand twitched lightly and I flexed it into a fist, I had to remember, this still was Pit's body- hurting it wouldn't do Pit any good.

But if what it was saying was right… This guy had been able to see what Pit was seeing, now the role was reversed- I couldn't let Pit watch this.

While I was torn with my thoughts, the devil on top of me had begun to start feeling around. I let out a strangled whimper, this did not feel right- It felt horrible.

It felt as if it was strangling my soul, rather than caressing my body.

"S-stop" I hissed, my arms finally beginning to respond, moving up to grab the offending hands by the wrist.

"_Not enjoying it, Ike? That makes two of you, but one of me then." _It replied, moving its lips down on my skin. I shuddered and tried to wrestle the devilish thing off of me.

I only really succeeded in getting it under myself. Well, had to start _somewhere_.

"Grab a hold of yourself Pit!" I shouted, holding the boy's arms above his head. The form smiled and raised it hips to mine.

"_You want to be on top? Fin__e with me."_ It purred.

I felt the rage boiling up inside me. Uncontrollable fury. If Pit was being forced to watch this- this _things _actions, to have it do this against his will- I heard the snapping sound again, but this was much, much louder.

Pit's head was rolled to the side and he just lay there, staring at the wall. My hands were free, but one of them stung horribly. I could connect the stinging in my hand to the angry red mark quickly forming on Pit's cheek,

Slowly, ever so slowly, the form turned to look at me.

I shuddered. For the fact that it wasn't the cold, possessed eyes looking back at me.

But I also shuddered, seeing the tears freely spilling over the sweet angel's soft face.

--------Ike's P.O.V end----

"Oh Ike. I-I'm so s-sorry." Pit whispered his voice cracking and strangled.

Ike pulled Pit up into a tight embrace, sitting back and pulling the crying angel into his lap, wrapping his arms protectively around the shivering body.

"I-I'm sorry! I-I'm s-s-so sorry!!" Pit cried, clinging to Ike. Ike pat Pit's head and rubbed up and down his back, rocking him lightly back and forth.

"Why didn't you tell me _that_ was what you were protecting us from?" Ike asked, one of the questions he wanted to word.

Pit hiccupped quite a few times while he tried to reply, "I-I-I was a-afraid of w-wh-what it might d-do to me i-if I did!" He cried. Ike rubbed his back.

"Pit, is there anything I can do?" Ike asked, his expression becoming more pained as he watched Pit cry. Pit shook his head.

"I-It'll get a-angry if you t-tried," Pit cried.

"There has to be a way to stop it," Ike mused. Pit didn't reply.

Pit eventually calmed a little, still lightly hiccupping, but now fighting to keep his eyes open.

"Pit, will you be alright on your own?" Ike asked, giving the half asleep angel in his lap a slight shake. Pits hand grabbed Ike's and he looked up through half lidded eyes.

"Please stay…please Ike…I don't want to be alone." He whispered, drifting in and out of consciousness.

Ike softened his expression with a sigh, smiling lightly, "Alright, I'll stay." He whispered, rubbing his thumb over Pit's knuckles.

Pit smiled and let his eyes slide closed, his wings dropping down peacefully.

Ike watched silently, feeling the tugs of sleep pulling him as well. He fished around behind him for the sheets, gently lying down, holding Pit close to him as he draped it over them both.

"Pit…let me help you." Ike whispered, brushing some of Pit's scruffy hair out of the small face, Pit shifted closer to Ike, nuzzling close to his chest so Ike could feel his breath on his neck.

It was then, Ike decided he would find a way to remove that devil from this poor angel, even if he had to put it into his own soul.

Anything, to free Pit, anything, to make him happy.

--------

Gah, why, why do I do this to them?! but there is worse coming for Pit. (sobs) next chapter should be up soon if I feel like torturing Pit, the show must go on!!


	7. Chapter 7

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Welcome to chapter seven of My Light! Unexpected wait…I had to think about what to write, but here it is! Mostly Ike's point of view because its fun to write it that way.

Oooo, it's getting a little bit more romantic? I feel bad that I'm going to break that. I actually don't know if its romantic- I don't write that…or read that…:( sadface. But…now I've done this chapter, I feel like hurting Pit. Dark Pit will be in the next chapter, promise.

Disclaimer as always, no changes.

--------Pit's P.O.V.----

_I feel warm. No…not just warm….I feel….safe…_

_I don't want to wake up…its so comfortable here…nothing here to taunt me…to break me…just myself, floating on the sea of clouds that I knew to be my home…_

_No, not just me…someone else is here too…_

I slowly let my eyes open, and my sight, with my touch, came slowly. What came to me first was my hearing- soft, heavy breathing was all, accompanied by the thick silence of morning.

Then came my touch- warm, protective arms around me, my whole body pressed up against another, but with my touch also came my smell, a mix of scents- strong, but not so strong, and mixed to make me cough, but intoxicating at the same time.

When my vision came to me, I stared the lock of blue hair I could see, before moving my gaze up, seeing the peaceful, sleeping face of Ike.

He breathed out, deep, his scent taking over most of my senses, tempting me back into the peaceful sleep I welcomed most graciously after all these sleepless nights.

But I denied that lulling warmth against me and shook my head lightly, stretching my wings out behind me, gasping softly at how cramped they were.

When I looked back to Ike, I met his darker blue eyes looking back and caught my breath.

"Good morning, Pit." He breathed, flexing his arms while keeping them around me, stretching as he continued to hold me close, letting his eyes seep partially closed as he gazed at me.

"G-good morning." I whispered back, blushing as he hugged me tighter, closing his eyes fully.

"Don't say that to me yet…I wanna sleep a little longer..." Ike scolded me lightly, tone heavy, as if he hadn't slept in days.

"But Ike…" I was going to protest, but his heavy breathing and the sudden relax of his arms around me told he had already fallen asleep again.

I sighed lightly, not fighting the inviting sleep as it overwhelmed me.

--------Ike's P.O.V.-----

I never felt this comfortable, this…any of this! I'd never felt anything like it!

I could vaguely remember waking up prior to now, but back then Pit was awake too…right now; he was asleep in my arms.

I moved my arm slowly to stroke his hair, so soft. His face was so peaceful…I was glad he had times of peace as well, denying this angel that would be nothing short of criminal.

His wings slowly moved over us both as he moved closer to me. I blushed a little as his legs intertwined with mine, every bit of him was soft it seemed...

No! I shouldn't be thinking like that! He was a fellow brawler, a friend…

A friend I was deeply concerned for…

I sighed and stoked his hair again, drinking up his peaceful face, his long lashes, his lightly blushing cheeks, the blushed even when he was asleep? His cute button nose and soft, pink lips…

No! Stop thinking like that! I slapped myself mentally, blushing brighter, It was not right to have these thoughts! What would others think? We're both _men _for god's sake!

Pit shifted against me again, and I calmed down a little. If I got too stressed, I might crush him; he felt so small and fragile, like a porcelain doll, painted by the gods.

I hugged him to myself lightly; it's hard to think that something…_foul, _evil, a devil like no other- was hiding within this beautiful, kind, gentle boy.

I slapped myself again. Sure it was _true_, but having those thoughts won't help right now!

Pit shifted a little more, sighing lightly as his eyes slowly opened. That bright, crystal blue. It fit nicely with his breezy scent.

He stared at me for a few moments and I stared back into those drowsy eyes. He yawned lightly and untangled himself from me, leaning back a little as he stretched, his wings stretching out their full length before flopping back down.

"Good morning, Ike." Pit said lightly, moving one of his hands to rub his eyes. I lightly smiled, remembering that part of the dream like time I was last awake.

"Good _morning_, Pit." I replied, faking exaggerated enthusiasm, making the angel laugh lightly. The sound lifted my heart, such a healing sound.

"Are we getting up now?" Pit teased, crossing his arms against my chest, I smirked down at him,

"I guess so; if we have any fights today- I wonder what Master Hand will do?"

Pit laughed lightly once again, "It'll be _your_ fault." He said, pushing himself out of my arms lightly and sitting up, stretching his arms out in front of him.

I watched him as he stretched his wings again, before sitting up. I felt a little stiff from lying like that all night, but I guess this was the best I've felt after sleeping in all my life.

I got out of the bed first, shivering in the cold, looking at a small analogue clock adorned with gold ribbons on Pit's far wall to check the time. I also noticed a calendar next to it.

I walked over quietly as Pit slowly woke himself up; looking at the red crosses which marked off each day until today. Some days were circled blue, other's circled black.

"What's this?" I asked, lightly, looking back at Pit. I was a little surprised to see him staring at me sadly.

"That Ike, is my watching calendar." He said quietly; slipping out of his sheets and walking over.

"The blue circles are days when it didn't come, the black circles are days it did especially bad things to me." He explained lightly, before leaving off towards the wardrobe.

I was a little sad myself seeing that after every blue circle, a black circle came, but then on random days in between some black circles would appear.

When I turned around, Pit was half way into his black jump suit and was trying to maneuver his wings through the hole at the back.

"Let me help," I offered, walking over and picking up the black fabric, holding the circle out so Pit could push his wings through.

"T-thank you, I-Ike." Pit stammered, pulling his arms through and adjusting it a little before grabbing the long white cloth which served as his toga.

I helped with that as well, fastening the red and gold clip and helping arrange it around his wings so that it was comfortable. Pit told me he could handle the rest himself, but I stayed to help anyway.

He put his wraith of gold leaves upon his head and turned to me, "How is it?" He asked, a little bit of the old Pit he had met the first day of the Brawl seeping into his speech and actions.

I smiled at him and gave a thumbs up. Pit's wings fluttered happily and he smiled widely, "I'm sorry to have kept you here, Ike, you should go get changed…" Pit blushed a little and fiddled with his hands.

I smiled a bit wider at his shyness, but shrugged, "I want to see you out there for breakfast, alright?" I told him as he followed me out of the room and before he parted to head to the kitchen.

He poked a tongue out at me and smiled.

----

"So, how did it go?" Marth asked as he yawned lightly, adjusting his amour before deciding he didn't need it and tore it all off, draping his cape over his shoulders.

I felt like throwing him into the wall, he was obviously pleased with his work- and I don't know why, but it really ticked me off.

I pulled on my own amour and sighed, as much as it angered me, I had to be thankful of the little gossip-prince; I now knew why Pit was so…scared.

"It went fine," I said, pulling Ragnell to me as I practiced a few swings.

Marth smirked, "Anything…extra?"

I froze as Marth coughed, looking away. "No! You're sick!!" I yelled at him. He blocked my sword with his own, the clashing of steel reflecting my mood.

"Ok! Ok! But why so defensive?? There's nothing wrong about it!" He jeered, jumping away. I paused.

"Marth, you speak as if you know what it feels like!" I pointed out as I swing at him.

I managed _just _to halt my sword before it cut his neck when he didn't move to dodge or block.

I stared at the prince as he blushed lightly and took a step away from my blade. "No..." I heard myself gasp, the only heir of his kingdom was…gay?

Marth nodded lightly and coughed once, looking away from me, "And there's nothing wrong about it, love is love Ike." He told me, glancing at me with his cold cobalt blue eyes.

I let my sword fall to my side with my arm, "_Who?_" I asked, honestly curious.

Marth sighed and scratched the back of his head, "You wouldn't know him Ike," He replied. "Anyway, I know you like Pit, it's written all over you." Marth pointed out to me, I felt myself blush,

"See? You're always so kind to him, worried, you feel as if there wouldn't be much else to live for if they were not alive." Marth added.

I looked down, Pit was nice and all, but…did I really feel that way? I imagined the thought of the Pit I knew dead, the devil inside him roaming, forever free…My chest tightened painfully.

"But it's not right." I mumbled.

Marth scoffed, "Why? Love is Love; there is no set rules for it, age and gender do not matter if it's true." He snapped.

I had to agree…a little. "But what if Pit doesn't feel the same way?" I felt something tug inside of me, like I knew something…but I couldn't remember quite what, everything before that relaxing sleep seemed a little fuzzy.

Marth sighed, "Well, you don't know do you?" He replied, leaving me there.

--------Pit's P.O.V.----

"You're late," I said, smiling as I turned slightly on the spot to watch Ike walk out. "Pike and I were waiting," I added putting a hand on the oak tree which swayed happily in the breeze.

Ike smiled at me; I poked my tongue out at him. "I was checking the brawls for today." He said, I noticed he wasn't wearing his amour today, did that mean he didn't have any?

He walked right up to me and smiled, "You have one in about twenty minutes." I pouted; it didn't seem that long away- now that he'd said it like that and all.

"So….anything….with…you know…" He whispered, looking around, I slightly jumped, before sighing happily,

"No, it was the best sleep I've had in ages." I'm sure it showed too, I haven't felt this free since the time Paulentina sent me off to help here.

"_It_ didn't show up either," I added happily, leaning a little against Pike, looking up at the leaves.

Ike sighed beside me, "That's good." He said, also looking up.

The soft silence was stirred by the wind and rustling of leaves, the shade moving in and out, a few spots of sun shining though. I felt safe again, like when I woke up in Ike's arms.

I sighed lightly and let myself lightly daydream, closing my eyes. I could smell Ike's heavy scent on the wind, my wings fluttered happily, just knowing he was close was enough to make me relax.

"Pit..." Ike lightly said; I opened my eyes to look at him; He was sitting, leaning against Pike, looking off into the distance.

"Yes Ike?" I asked, sitting down next to him.

Ike didn't reply for a few moments, the light silence becoming heavy as I waited for his reply.

"Have you…ever fallen in love?"

I was confused. _Love?_ What brought this up?

"N-no, I don't…really know what it is actually…I've only heard stories." I replied, fiddling with my hands. I felt ashamed at my answer; it was as if everyone but me knew what that feeling was.

Ike was silent for a few more moments after that, before he turned slightly to look at me, "What do _you_ think it is?" He asked me, I could hear a strange defensive tone in his voice.

I paused, blushing lightly as I looked up, "Well….when two people like each other very much that they want to stay together no matter what?" I asked, confused.

Ike smiled lightly, "Yeah, but what else do you know about love?" He asked. I could sense a hidden question in his voice; it egged me on to give my better opinion.

"Guards in heaven say that love should only be between a man and a woman, but I disagree, Paulentina says that love has no bounds." I said, huffing and leaning back, spreading out my wings so the bark didn't hurt them.

I could hear Ike lightly laugh, I pouted, "What's so funny?" I snapped childishly, going red a little in embarrassment.

Ike waved his hand, "Nothing, I'm just relieved- I…think that too. But I heard it from Marth," He said, chuckling.

I huffed again and jumped up to my feet, "Come on, my battle's gonna' start soon- It'll take me a while to get there too if you're coming along." I snapped, walking off.

I could hear Ike laugh behind me and he grabbed my wrist, "Is that a challenge?" He asked; I poked my tongue out at him,

"Maybe. Winner gets a prize."

He let go of my wrist and began running, I followed quickly- keeping a constant pace with him, but I knew I was losing.

Ike won, waiting for me around the bend at the doors to the arenas, He laughed at me while panting harshly.

"I win, but you can give me my prize after," It was his turn to poke his tongue out at me, I pouted lightly and he led me into the arenas.

He went off to claim a seat to watch the match; I was up against Fox, Lucas and Peach.

"Everyone to their places." Master hand called, I quickly jumped up onto the platform and to my pod, pulling the glass open and slipping inside.

"Good luck kids," Fox jeered over the intercom while I pulled on my own headset, flicking down the screen in front of me.

"Same goes to you; you'll need all the luck you can get." I replied, smirking. I could hear Lucas' laughter and Fox scoff as my vision went stunning white.

"Three…."

I was materializing into the arena database, an odd feeling; your soul going into a game.

"Two…."

I whipped out my bow efficiently, the others materializing- the level began to move up steadily, Rumble Falls then? I should have the advantage.

"One…"

I ran over my strategy once more in my mind, three lives each, it shouldn't be a problem.

"Go!"

I could hear everyone roar as we leapt from out platforms, but I could hear Ike's voice over all the others- I smiled to myself as I broke my bow into blades.

This should be easy.


	8. Chapter 8

Extremely long wait! And it's not even that long!!! I took out some stuff so I would get _something _up before the end of this month.

Oh wow, lookie here. No Dark Pit. HUM. He'll be in the next one, and as I want to finish this before I completely lose my inspiration, there may or may not be very mean Pit torture in the next chapter.

I hope there will be though, I need something big…

Don't wait up D=

--------

"Go Pit!!!!" Ike yelled, along with a few others who were cheering for the Angel.

The screen showed the battle of course, but on the side, smaller screens showed individual characters. He smiled to himself seeing Pit smile back at his enthusiasm.

Two large explosions indicated that Peach and Lucas had just lost their last lives.

Fox turned and smiled at Pit, before jumping up another level.

"Why don't you just give up fairy boy?" Fox asked, taunting.

Pit scowled in response, "_Hey!_ That's links nick-name!"

Link face palmed next to Ike.

Fox raised his gun and began shooting at Pit, who flied out of range and began shooting back quick arrows of light in response.

Ike watched warily, seeing how Pit's wings were becoming increasingly tired from the sudden use after weeks of rest.

Pit ducked down under a row of logs and ran up under fox, breaking his bow apart and slashing upwards twice. Fox was hit once before he rolled out of the way.

Pit continued to deal steady damage, but every hit Fox got in leveled their counters.

"This is tight," Ike muttered, crossing his arms, Marth on his right laughed a little, Ike looked down at him, "What's so funny?"

Marth shook his head lightly, a blissful smile on his face, "Your expression- you worry too much, in fact, you remind me of…ah never mind, look, Pit's about to win." Marth said, looking up.

Ike snapped his head back to the screen to where Pit had Fox trapped in a whirlwind blade.

"I…WIN!" Pit yelled, slashing once more, sending Fox flying off the course.

"The victor is Pit!" Master Hand boomed, the crowd jumping to their feet and cheering.

Pit raised his hands in victory as everyone roared, Ike the loudest once again.

The screen flicked to replays of the match and the scores of everyone playing over that.

Pit pushed the glass off of his pod and shook his head lightly, Peach and Lucas congratulated him before moving off the platform, while Fox just grumbled and left with Falco.

Ike ran over and hauled himself up, rushing towards the angel. "That was great Pit!" He congratulated, Marth and Link following.

Pit just smiled and poked out his tongue at the bluenette. Ike lightly blushed but smiled back brighter.

"I could hear you screaming for me Ike, ow!" Pit snickered, pretending to rub his ears as he pushed himself out of the pod.

He stumbled with a grimace and Ike caught him straight away. "Pit, are you ok?" Ike rushed out. Pit smiled a little and pushed himself out of Ike's worried grip.

"I'm fine, just a little stiff." He reassured,

"How about your wings?" Ike asked.

Pit met Ike's worried gaze with a bright smile, "Fine- just a little numb, I'm _fine_ Ike!" He chirped.

Ike sighed with relief and Marth lightly chuckled, Link side-glanced the prince, "What's so funny?" He asked, a little confused. Marth waved his hand at Link and giggled, pulling Link off the platform.

"Give them some time alone, now! I need to make a phone call, and you've got to go talk to Zelda!"

"But I don't need to-"

"And you're going to talk to Toon link then!!"

Pit watched Marth tug Link away, tilting his head in confusion. Ike just laughed lightly, nervously.

"Congratulations on your victory," Master Hand said, floating over to give Pit the reward money.

"Thanks," Pit replied, smiling and taking the coin bag happily before turning to the swordsman.

"Come on Ike, I need some air."

--------

Pit skipped his odd jog towards Pike and fluttered down next to the tree, leaning lightly against the soft bark and crossing his legs like a little kid. Ike sat down next to him when Pit invited him to.

"You sill have a prize you know," Pit informed, looking up at the branches which outstretched far above.

Ike rested his arms on his legs, "Yeah, I guess I do." He mumbled, smiling at Pit, the angel smiled back.

"What you gonna choose?" Pit asked, rearranging himself so he was facing Ike, lying on his stomach, his head in his hands. Ike took a moment to think.

"…….I don't know."

Pit pouted, "There must be something Ike." Ike blushed lightly at Pit's huge cerulean eyes pleading at him, quickly looking away.

"Well…I guess there is." He said, looking around nervously before looking back down at Pit.

Pit poked out his tongue, "Spill it! You won the race, you need your prize!!" He chirped playfully. Ike smiled lightly before looking away, running a hand through his hair.

"Maybe later." He eventually sighed, relaxing onto the tree. Pit's wings fluttered and he pouted.

"But that's not fair! I feel bad if I don't give you anything! You won!! I want to give you your prize!!" He whined angrily, getting up and sitting down angrily, hugging his knees.

Ike softly laughed, looking around once again as Pit continued to whine.

"What was the point of me offering a prize if you won't take it! There _must _be _some-_", Pit was cut off mid sentence as Ike swooped down and captured his lips.

Pit froze- and before he could return the chaste kiss, Ike had pulled back quickly, looking away.

Pit instinctively reached out and grabbed Ike's arm before the swordsman could launch himself to his feet and take off.

Ike covered his face with his hand and_ slowly_ relaxed, resting against Pike- red as the ruby apple which had created it.

Pit tightened his grip as he felt his emotions bubbling up. His stomached tightened uncomfortably and he looked away from Ike as Ike glanced at him through his fingers.

"S…Sorry." Ike murmured, removing his hand and leaning slightly against Pit. The smaller boy shook his head and flexed his fingers.

"N-no, don't be." He murmured back.

They sat there for a few minutes in silence, before Ike spoke again.

"Pit, you said you didn't….didn't know what love really was?" He asked lightly, putting a hand over Pit's to attempt to relax the grip.

Pit hesitated before nodding, "I…don't know. I've never experienced it- as I said before…I've only heard stories…of Angels who have fallen in love."

Ike turned lightly to face Pit, easing the small hands off his arm and holding them in his own. He stared into the cerulean blue eyes, forcing Pit to look at him.

"Pit, you said I had a prize." He said softly. Pit nodded lightly, not breaking the eye contact. "Pit," He started, serious.

"For my prize, would you try…falling in love?" He finished, blushing but keeping his straight face.

Pit caught his breath and looked away, chewing his lip, his thoughts running over every point in his mind for a long moment of silence.

"…Y...yes." Pit eventually breathed out, looking back. He leaned in and rested his forehead against Ike's, "I'll try…for you."

Ike took in a deep breath and Pit leaned back, smiling brightly, "And who knows? I might have taken the first step right now!" He giggled, poking his tongue out.

Ike sighed happily, smiling as he closed the distance between them both once again, Pit happily replying.

---------

It has been cut short! There was more after this, but it's the beginning of the next chapter now…

Question time- do you want there to be a yaoi lemon in this eventually?? I can't decide on my own, I feel it might break the mood of the story- but you're the readers! Tell me what you want to see!!


	9. Chapter 9

Long chapter, YAAAY. Put off longer than I should have, I started it a while ago- but I just wasn't feeling it. Yay twilight making me want to hurt Pit really early in the morning!

And I apologize! I will write a lemon, but I'm planning for the last chapter or so- only a few more left folks! I also apologize for how emo-ish and depressing this chapter is, but hey ITS MEANT TO HAVE SOME TRAUMA.

Disclaimer: BLAHBLA I don't own super smash brothers, or twilight, just for the mention of it above. Insert sadface here. I really want to hug Pit and apologize for this…or hug Carlisle and beg for forgiveness…I…I'll stop now…

Dark Pit's point of view first- mwahahaha! Yes! It's his time to shine! Finally…

And without further ado, I welcome you to chapter nine of My Light! Ah, also…REVIEW! I noms on them and it gives me energy…nomnomnom…

--------Teaser--------

_I would not be able to hold back the screams which would enforce. It liked torture- it wouldn't make it quick; it would choose the longer route- the agonizing route._

----------------

_Perhaps I should just kill him. Yes, __perhaps. Save me the trouble of trying to take over._

_Of course, if I did kill him, would I die too?_

I growled angrily and threw my silver wreath down onto where ground should be. I watched it fall till it was a speck in this darkness before letting my self fall weightlessly to catch it.

_Well I have to do something soon, either way I'll die. Kill the boy, half chance I'll die to-, let that troublesome swordsman interfere any longer, I die anyway._

Being a damn double to the angel was a hell of its own, I only live now to cause him as much pain as possible. I sighed again, catching my wreath and putting it back among my hair, floating in nothing.

_Oh great, here it comes. _I growled in pain as flickers of light interrupted the darkness, I turned to see there was now more light far off, like a sunrise breaking dawn across the dark sky.

It was slowly creeping across, inches every day. I'd have to do something about that. Bring some more darkness here, before I vanish.

_He'll have to live with it. _I thought bitterly, _I don't want to die either._

Even down here, trapped in the darkness of the boy's soul, I could feel most of what he felt. The joy he felt when he was with that conniving swordsman, it was disgusting.

_Looks like the coast is clear, well, I'm getting out now. _

--------Pit's P.O.V.----

"I-Ike…can't…breathe..."

Ike dropped me almost immediately, giving me a sorry-happy look. I think he thinks that made up for not actually _saying_ sorry.

I also think I was going to say so, but he had trapped me again. Pretty sure my mind blanked this time.

"Ike, come on" I mumbled between the deep kiss he was trying to start.

He chuckled and pulled back, "Sorry, it's just...I don't want to leave you here all _alone_." He apologized, wrapping his arms around my waist and gazing down at me.

I pouted, "It's only two days, and shouldn't _I _be the one all sappy and mopey about it?" I asked, smirking as he shrugged. "And what do you _mean _alone? Marth will be here with me, so go have a good time! _Though_…bring me something back, or I might hurt you." I warned as a second thought.

Ike laughed and gave me another crippling hug, he was so excited about going back home, I should be too, but I'd decided to stay with the few brawlers who didn't want to visit their friends and family.

When Master Hand called us together to tell us we had the weekend to go home, everyone was surprised, well, nearly everyone, a huge majority of us were shocked, especially those who had nowhere to return to.

Me and Ike have been together for about a month now, and he really didn't want to leave me here, he wanted to take me with him, but apparently that's 'against the rules', but I felt really bad not letting him go, he was so happy when he knew he could, even for a few blissful seconds.

"If Marth tries anything on you I'll kick his ass when I get back." Ike whispered in my ear, I giggled lightly, rolling my eyes.

"Brawlers returning, gather here." Master Hand boomed; Ike jumped lightly, looking over his shoulder,

"Damn, I have to go." Ike muttered as he chewed his lip.

I rolled my eyes again and grabbed the front of his tunic in both hands, swinging him down to kiss him goodbye. I let him go and shoved him lightly, "Hurry back." I said, he smiled down at me and ruffled me hair before turning and running over to the portals.

I sighed and waved as he waved at me one last time before disappearing through a black portal which had appeared in the middle of the hall. I let my smile fall slightly as I felt all my happiness had gone with him.

"If he had seen you now, he wouldn't have left." Marth commented from my side, I looked up at him; he smiled lightly back, "He'll be back soon, don't worry _too_ much."

"I'm not worried, just a little sad, that's all." I replied as I followed him out of the room, he laughed,

"Right! Not worried! Pit, you're worrying." He chuckled, laying a finger on my lip, the lip I was currently chewing.

I pouted angrily, "Why aren't _you_ going back Marth?" I asked, he waved his hand, but I noticed his smile falter,

"Why aren't _you _going back, Pit? Doesn't Paulentina want to see her _loyal guard?"_

I poked my tongue out at him, "If she needs me, she'd call me back, and don't avoid the question." I snapped,

Marth sighed lightly, "Pit, I'm not avoiding it; I just don't want to answer."

He gave me such a serious look- I could feel the shudder run through me, the full force of his cold, cobalt blue eyes unleashed.

And then it was gone, Marth smiling again. "What are you going to do while Ike's away? You aren't planning to mope around all weekend are you?" His expression changed to one of polite conviction.

I laughed hesitantly, "Yeah that was _exactly_ what I was going to do." I joked nervously. Marth smiled.

"What are you going to do?" I asked, Marth's smile grew wider,

"I'm inviting someone over, after all, _I _can't go to visit_ him."_

He had led me outside; I had never been here while it was so…quiet. Going over it all in my head, only a few people were still at the mansion now- Me, Marth, R.O.B., Mr. Game and Watch, and maybe Wolf- that was it.

It took a few more moments for what he had said to click. I looked up at him, "You mean…_him?_" I prompted.

He smiled and nodded, giggling, "It was his idea though, don't tell Ike- we can rub it in his face later." He winked at me.

"When's _he _getting here?" I asked, Marth hadn't told us much about his 'partner', just that he meant a lot to him and wished he was still here.

Marth scratched his head, "Sometime today, he should be early because he wouldn't dare be late."

"So what time is that?" I asked, confused, Marth shrugged,

"Soon I guess, I told him when everyone's leaving, so a few minutes?" I tilted my head but he just smiled.

"_MAAAARRRRRTTTHHHHHH!!!"_

I jumped in shock and we both turned around to see a short red-haired boy running full speed at us.

Marth broke into a smile and held out his arms, the boy leaping at him instead, tackling him to the ground.

"It's been so long!! I missed you!!" The boy crooned, nuzzling into Marth's neck. Marth laughed, giving me a happy-nervous look. I stared back.

"Ok, ok, let me up Roy." Marth gasped when the red-head bit him.

"I dun wanna." Roy replied, smirking.

Marth then shoved the boy off him, Roy landing backwards. "_Hey!_ Maa_arth_! Why so cold!?" He whined, tears of confusion welling up at his pouting face.

Marth sighed as he sat up, "_Introductions_. Pit, Roy- Roy, Pit." He introduced, gesturing to us with his hands.

Roy looked at me with large blue eyes, before breaking out into a smile, "Nice to meet you," He greeted.

I smiled at him and waved, "It's nice to finally meet you too- Marth wouldn't stop talking about you." I put in for Marth's sake.

Roy blushed and chibi tears of joy appeared, "Marth! I didn't know you cared!" Marth jumped up to doge the second tackle. From how Marth _did _talk about Roy, I thought he would be a bit _friendlier_.

Perhaps he only acts that way when Roy isn't there, something to do with Pride. I tilted my head, watching as Roy tackled Math once again from behind, Marth complaining while Roy chewed on his blue hair.

"Marth! Show me around!" Roy whined, pulling Marth to his feet and yanking him along as he ran off, Marth cringed,

"Sorry Pit!" Marth called before being yanked inside, "We'll catch up later, ok!?" Was the last he was able to get out before he was gone.

I sighed sadly, it would be mean to barge in on Marth; he must have missed Roy dearly. I looked over at Pike, his leaves swaying lightly in the breeze- I sighed again and turned, heading inside.

No doubt after a while of wandering I ended up back in my room, sprawled on my bed with the picture album me and Ike were forced by Marth to make. Suddenly I felt grateful for the bossy Prince.

I rolled over onto my stomach, stretching my wings and crossing my legs in the air, flipping the ancient cover open to the first page. I smiled nostalgically as I remembered making this- it seemed we both didn't have a talent for scrap booking, the photo's glued in wherever there was space.

I was around halfway when I grew a little too bored by it and glanced up to check once again how long Ike would be away.

That was my original idea, but my eyes lingered on the calendar, no black circles, the blue forgotten, now normal red crosses marking off the days.

I placed my head in my hands, glancing at the teddy bear in the corner and smiling, "Maybe it's gone?" I asked it, its beaded eyes stared back.

_Don't flatter yourself._

I felt a shudder tear through me and clung to the sheets, the unbearable cold almost painful as it appeared next to me.

I gasped as it ran a hand slowly down between my wings, _"You didn't really believe I would leave you, hmm?" _It teased in a bored fashion as it spread the paralyzing ice down my back, making me cringe.

"W-why now?" I was able to ask through my frantic gasps, clenching the sheets tighter as it chuckled, the sound hollow and dead in my ears.

"_I would have thought it obvious, but I __guess I was wrong- No matter." _It shrugged off.

I couldn't move again. As its hand slinked around and took the photo album, I couldn't stop it. It snorted as it flicked through, _"Wonderful memories?" _It snickered before dropping the book still-open to the ground, a loud thud echoing.

_Calm down calm down calmdowncalmdown! If it were going to do something, it would have done it by now!! _My mind was screaming as I tried to force my muscles to relax. The thing smirked and traced circles over my shoulder blades.

"_Will you kindly give in? I don't want to hurt this body…" _It offered, stroking its hand mere millimeters above my wing.

To my disapproval, my body tensed further, I could barely turn my head to glare at it. "_No_," I growled, but my voice still sounded so weak and helpless.

It sighed and sat up, crossing the room in a blink and locking the door with a wave of its hand. _"I really didn't want to do this._" Its smile told a different tale.

My breathing was reaching hyperventilation as I forced my arms to move, slowly pushing myself onto my knees, just to be shoved back down, nearly suffocated by the sheets.

It grabbed a fist full of my hair as it sat on my waist, yanking my head back so I could at least glare. It frowned, before smirking, _"Don't give me that look, you should have seen this coming."_

"What are you going to do?" I growled, it smirked,

"_You'll see." _It then frowned, sighing unhappily, _"I like you much better when you're twitchy, at least then I don't have to force the screams from your throat." _It muttered, giving my hair a sharp yank, enticing a sharp gasp from me in response.

I hissed in pain as its other hand grabbed my wrists together in an ice-like vice, it leaned down, yanking my head to the side so it could whisper in my ear. _"Don't think this will be over soon, you know me better." _It breathed before biting down on my shoulder.

I bit my lip hard, I could taste the blood- but I wouldn't give it the pleasure of seeing me crumble to its force; It tutted angrily, licking up blood which slowly flowed down, beginning to soak my toga a dark crimson.

"Yeah, you like to torture the person by telling them what you'll do- _bore _them to death," I hissed sarcastically, it smirked and bit down again, my hiss of pain coming from behind clenched teeth.

It gave a tug of my wrists, _"No, no. not today- I don't think I'll bore you, you might even find my method today…interesting._" It replied, letting go of my hair to trace a line down my neck and along my spine.

"_You see," _it started, _"I might start by first reminding you how defenceless compared to me you truly are, shake your nerves." _It whispered dangerously low as it stabbed its sharp nails into my back, I couldn't fight the strangled gasp of pain, and it smirked lightly in response.

"_Then, maybe something more permanent..._" It muttered, the now blood stained fingers tracing up the frail membrane of my wing.

I gasped in realization. It smirked and chuckled darkly in response.

"You-You _wouldn't_" I gasped, horrified as I struggled with new force against its grip.

It chuckled, _"No, not exactly the way you're thinking- but didn't I prove you right? It was very interesting…"_

I gasped and pressed my face into the covers, I could hear its echoing laughter as it dug its nails across my back repetitively, biting along my neck, trying to get a better reaction.

I groaned in agony into the sheets, feeling my back being town to shreds- the air stinging and burning- before I was abruptly flung over, my hands flying above my head, still in the hold I was trying to break as it re-straddled my waist.

I let out an agonized yell as it clawed through my toga, biting and licking at my chest, burning, shredding, and getting what it wanted.

Tears burned my eyes as I screwed them shut, it was biting my jaw, stabbing nails into my wrist, digging deep crimson lines across my stomach- and yet I wouldn't give in, wouldn't give it what it truly wanted.

I bit my lip again as the pain numbed my body, dulling my yells, muffling them to my ears, It growled angrily and dug deeper, a new yell tearing through me.

"_IKE!!!!!!!" _I screamed. It briefly paused, pulling its bloody hand from the blood pooling everywhere over my chest- my head felt light as the effects of the blood loss were beginning to settle in, I couldn't fight the tears, burning as they came to the few scratches and bites along my jaw.

But it was laughing.

A terrible shudder ran through me, of everything, my soft whimpers and cries- everything was dull next to that hollow sound, filling my mind, echoing.

"_Yes! Scream for him! He cannot help you now!!" _It laughed in pleasure as it flipped me. My mind was blank, the burning and stinging, it raked through me, but no more screams would come. It was right, and that was what hurt most of all.

I could hear the dull hum it gave.

"…_did I break him?" _It murmured. It turned my head to the side, staring into my eyes, it growled lightly, _"Go on…scream…" _It muttered.

I knew what was going to happen. The worst thing for an Angel; The thing I treasure most- one of the few remaining threads which gave me hope.

I would not be able to hold back the screams which would enforce. It liked torture- it wouldn't make it quick; it would choose the longer route- the agonizing route.

A shudder ran through me once again as it hands slowly travelled down my back, dipping into the cuts lightly as it travelled to my wings.

"s….stop..." I gasped lifelessly, trying to struggle against him, but my muscles were so numb…dead to my mind…

It ignored me and began whispering ancient words.

"s….stop!" I gasped before twitching in pain as it delved its hands in- past my wings, to my soul.

It took me a few breathless moments before the pain in my throat and new wave of stinging in my eyes brought me to notice I was screaming.

Blood curdling screams.

Once again, it was laughing hollowly as it grabbed hold and pulled.

The tearing feeling- it hurt. It hurt worse then death- If I could, I would welcome death now, anything to be free of this torture.

He was ripping the soul from my wings- my most treasured of all possessions.

It burned like fire, I screamed louder. It laughed harder and with one hard tug, I felt it rip and it was gone. My wings crumpled broken and lifeless among feathers coating the blood stained bed.

But the burning did not stop, the laughter continued. My screaming grew before beginning to fade, the pain taking over, numbness following.

It bent down, chucking to once again whisper in my ear.

"_You shall never return to the gates of white, you shall never fly." _It hissed, and then it was gone, its hollow laughter ringing in my ears, haunting me.

I was still screaming, but now not as loud- I could hear the banging on the door, I could hear worried voices.

But my screaming soon stopped altogether as I stared out at nothing, I couldn't breathe, my will given up- finally, the dark invite of unconsciousness luring me in.

--------Ike's P.O.V.----

I arrived back smiling; the two day's I'd spent back were memorable. Soren was probably the happiest to see me, but Shinon wasn't as sour as usual either.

But after a few seconds, I was aware that something was different- I was the first back, Marth was running to me, but he wasn't smiling- his face was twisted with fear and bottled agony.

"Marth?" I asked, dropping the sack I was carrying as Marth ran full force into me, wrapping his arms around my chest, I immediately knew something was wrong, terribly wrong- Marth was crying.

"Ike! Ike! It's _horrible_!" He rasped, his voice breaking as he choked, I put my hands on his shoulders to push him away, leaning down a little so I was exactly his height, staring into his tearing blue eyes. "Marth, calm down, what's wrong?" I demanded.

He broke into a dry sob and he brought his face into his hands. "Ike, it's Pit…oh god, _Pit.._." He cried heavily.

I had broken into a full sprint then, the fear Marth held as he slumped to the ground wmitting to me- making my muscles tense, making my heart ache.

_**Pit**_. What _happened_??

I burst into the hall and nearly skidded and smashed into the wall- catching myself and stumbling forward before breaking back into my sprint. I became more and more terrified, my breath hitching as I smelt blood.

I burst into Pit's room and froze, my every nerve tingling, my eyes wide.

There was blood splattered on the walls, the sheets on the bed had a dark pooling stain of it soaked through to the mattress. There were crumbling feathers everywhere, and even blood on the ceiling, but I could not see my angel in the pitch black room. The mangled photo album caught my eye, but did not hold it.

"Pit?" I choked, mortified as I took a hesitant step into the room, glancing around wildly for my love. A small shape in the corner twitched. I ran to it instantly, falling to my knees.

"Pit! _Pit?_ What happened??" I asked in a gush of words, the black form in front of me opening an eye. All I could see was the light reflected in the lifeless cerulean blue orb staring back at me.

My breath caught. My heart shattered. Pit was not there.

I reached out and pulled him to my arms, the soft, dull gasp of pain and sudden sensation of moisture and scratchy bumps on his back under my fingers making me freeze.

I pulled out lightly, bringing my hands up- they were partially covered in blood- my angels blood.

"Pit!" I cried, but it was too dark, I could only faintly see his outline as he was slumped lifelessly against my chest. Broken sobbing at the door notified me of Marth's presence.

I spun to him, enraged, "WHAT HAPPENED?!?!" I yelled at him, he jumped in fear, his eyes wide, a small red-headed boy next to him also whimpered, clutching to Marth's tunic lightly.

"We don't know Ike! We don't know!" Marth sobbed, trying to sound angry, but sounding more ashamed.

My emotions bubbled up, I was shaking, but no tears came. My mind ran over everything in fast motion and soon it clicked, there was only one other thing it could be.

I scooped Pit up in my arms and carried him to his bed, I cradled his body in one arm while I flung my cape off with the other, laying him down gently before going to the light switch, flicking it on.

When I turned around I also heard two strangled gasps behind me. Pit's chest looked like it had exploded; it was now oozing fresh blood through deep cuts crisscrossing and dicing everywhere, centred around his ribs, where the brighter red of blood covered bone could be seen only a few tattered red-splattered pieces remained of his toga.

A quick glance was all it took to know that his back would be the same, I gasped in horror as I took in the state of his wings. They were obviously broken, sticking up at odd angles and not moving in the slightest- but what had shocked me the most- made me feel like throwing up right then and there, was his feathers.

They were a deep grey, but where the feathers at the tips of his wings should be, bone and crumbling fluff remained. _His wings are degrading._ I chocked, gagging.

I went back to Pit immediately, I could see dried tear streaks down his cheeks, I could see the bite marks along his jaw and neck, but his eyes still showed no sign of life, only the slow, shallow, ragged breaths forcing his chest to rise and fall indicated he was still alive.

"Pit, Pit, Pit…" I gasped over and over, cradling his face in my hands, staring into his eyes- I could hear Marth break into a new wave of tears, the boy he was with trying to hold back his own.

I grasped one of Pit's hands and nearly retched at how sickly cold and frail it was, "Pit! Pit _listen to me,_ you're going to be ok, you're going to be all right." I growled over and over, but I was sure I was trying to convince myself more than I was trying to convince the lifeless doll in my arms.

The tears which were late in coming burned my eyes, and as I tried to blink them away they poured over, my voice cracking as I kept whispering to my angel.

My voice caught as I collapsed against the bed. This wasn't my Pit. There was no one there in those eyes.

I could feel long arms wrap around me and a damp face press against my neck, but I didn't truly feel it.

I could hear the far away voice telling me that help would come soon, that everything would be alright- that pit would be alright, but I didn't truly feel it.

But the excruciating ache in my heart I did feel. The hopelessness I felt as I gazed into the dull eyes which used to hold a fire no longer there I did feel.

I reached out, only seeing the broken, bloody body of my love, slowly moving further away from me as I was pulled away, the voices of reality slurred and far away as silent tears trailed down my face.

"Pit…." Was the last word I spoke before I fainted.


	10. Chapter 10 part 1

I really like this chapter, but it rambles, and is very, very long. So long I stopped and decided to make this part 1, because this storyline is cool w

Aaah, too much to write into chapters…..as for the lemon, I have no idea how I'm slotting it in, but it will definitely be at the end, I assure you- I don't want to make it angsty lemon.

ITS LONG. That's all I wanna say about this. Disclaimer as always, sorry for any spelling errors- and enjoy!

Oh, also review. I like reviews. Very much. They taste like cookies.

---------------------------------

It hurts.

It hurts….I feel like….there was something important….but I cannot…remember….Pain.…..

That's all there is….and…voices…. sound like…they are being…drowned out by a veil…of water…

It hurts….

I want….nothing more…than to die….

-----------------Ike's P.O.V.---------------

They won't let me see him. They won't even let me talk to him…

I rolled over on my bed, staring blankly at the wall presented in front of me.

I didn't feel like doing anything. All I felt like doing was lying here, and dying.

Not even Marth will tell me how my angel is doing…He breaks into tears before he can start…

I sighed and clenched a fist. _I want to see him! _I could feel a growl coming out under my breath, my depression once again shifting to anger.

I punched the wall and sat up, furious. "WHY WON'T YOU LET ME SEE HIM?!!?!" I screamed to no one. I threw my pillow across the room, hurtling books off of the far table to the floor with a loud crash.

Marth had switched rooms. He was staying with Link for a while. He was avoiding me.

_I never should have left. _My mind scolded as I drew my knees up, angry tears stinging my eyes. I glared down at my hands, bringing them up.

I could still feel the warm touch his blood on my hands; I can still feel the pain.

I bit my lip and lashed out at the wall again, causing another crack to form on the once marvelous ocean blue wall.

I can remember when I first woke up from the shock, a few days ago now. Marth was clinging to me, continuously whispering how sorry he was. Mario told me that I couldn't see him…Link was there with Marth to hold me back while I screamed my outrage.

Master Hand restricted me to my room, keeping the door locked all times. Food would be brought, but I wouldn't eat it.

I sighed and put my face in my hands, remembering when I threw Marth up against the wall, demanding why I couldn't see him. Marth had burst into tears and began screaming at me, screaming that he didn't know.

The door's soft click made my head lightly tilt upwards.

I felt the pang of regret as Marth silently moved in, placing the tray on the table, not even sparing a glance, his eyes downcast, before abruptly turning around to leave.

"Wait…Marth." My voice was barely audible, scratchy and sore, but it made the prince hesitate, his scared cobalt eyes flicking to mine.

"How…How is he…doing?" I asked, unable to say my loves name aloud. Marth looked away, biting his lip.

He slowly, _hesitantly_ walked over, hovering for a few cautious moments before sitting at the edge of my bed. He clenched his hands together and hunched over, staring at the ground, his hair obscuring his face.

"He…still isn't awake." He breathed quietly, calmly, afraid.

I cleared my throat uncomfortably, "And his…his…?" I couldn't say it.

Marth shuddered. "His wings…are still degrading, but at a…faster rate. At least a fourth- including the bone…is now gone." He replied shakily.

I also shuddered. His wings were almost a mirror of his health. "What…what will happen…to him…?" I asked weakly, trying to keep it together.

Marth bit his lip and shivered lightly, clenching his eyes shut. Another hair rising shudder coursed through me. "M...Marth?" I prompted, fearing what my mind was telling me.

"I-I'm sorry Ike, I can't tell you any more!" Marth gushed before racing out of the room, slamming the door shut.

I was frozen.

…So…My angel is to die then…

It just wouldn't sink in. He couldn't die. He wouldn't, he can't! But the more I thought it…the more possible it became...

I shuddered violently. Is that why they wouldn't let me see him?? Because he is going to _die?!_

I leapt to my feet and ran to the door, banging my fists onto it frantically.

"MARTH! MARTH I KNOW YOU'RE STILL THERE!!!" I yelled wildly, the panic and fear a razor edge on my words. "TELL ME! _PLEASE!_ IS PIT GOING TO _DIE_!?!?" I screamed insanely, my voice breaking on his name.

"I CAN'T TELL YOU!! I _CAN'T!!_" Marth's strangled cry erupted from behind the thick wood.

"TELL ME!!! _PLEASE!!!_ _I BEG YOU!!!"_ I cried back, tears spilling over as my legs gave way.

I thumped my forehead against the door as I cried. I could hear Marth's muffled sobs echo mine before the quick footsteps signaled he had run away.

--------End Ike's P.O.V.--------

"Marth!"

The room erupted into a surprised commotion as the sobbing Prince stumbled into the room. Peach, Zelda and Link dropped what they were doing to race to his aid while all the others present stared on with horror.

"Did he hurt you??" Link asked worriedly, clutching Marth's shaking shoulders with steady hands to steer the man to a chair.

Marth shook his head heavily, rubbing at his eyes as sobs tore through his throat. He covered his mouth while he shuddered, forcing his eyes to half open to face the worried eyes locked upon him.

"Ike…Ike can't take much more of this…He needs to see him…He's going insane…" Marth sobbed, muffled behind his hands. "Why…why can't we just _tell him??_" He sobbed angrily.

"Because if we tell him he'll get out of hand, he'd break the walls down trying to find the kid." Snake replied solemnly, sitting back down in his chair and returning to his work.

Marth glared at the man, "I'd rather him do that then torture himself thinking about what we're _keeping_ from him!!" Marth nearly screamed in rage, tears brimming once more at the edges of his eyes in his fury, his face flushed.

"We'd all appreciate that!" Link snapped, "But what will Ike do when he _finds _Pit, huh??" He yelled. Marth looked away, biting down on his lip angrily.

"See? It will hurt him more knowing he can't do anything, so its better he only knows that he doesn't know!"

"NO!" Marth screamed; the people crowded around him flinching back as he leapt to his feet furiously, glaring ice cold daggers into Link's clam blue eyes,

"It will hurt him more _knowing_ that he knows _nothing_! _Knowing_ that we _can't tell him_! He _loves _him Link! He would rather spend time next to that _dying boy_, even _knowing_ he can't do _anything_, than spend his time _locked_ in his room, _begging _to see him!!"

Marth shook his head angrily, tears spilling over, "You just don't _**understand!!**_ If Pit dies, _Ike will die too!_ But keeping Ike like this will only kill them both _faster_!!" He cried before storming out, leaving a severely shocked audience behind him.

--------Ike's P.O.V.--------

I lay there, dead to myself. Staring at nothing in this pitch black room of night. No lights, only the light of the moon, pure white, shining through my window, white, just like the feathers I used to see, bright, like his smile…

_tch__. I could write a poem out of this._ I thought dryly, growling to myself as I shook my head clear of thoughts.

But that left room for the panic to step in. Was Pit really going to die? Were they really not going to let me see him that one last time??

The cold which washed over me kept me more awake than ever, adding another sleepless night to the days which had passed. Perhaps the fear of the memory of him has given me insomnia..?

The click of the door and the slight, soft creak breaking the silence froze me into position. There was no light streaming through, I could see nothing.

Then a hand slipped firmly over my mouth, I flinched, panic rushing up through me. I was going to attack the unknown person, fight against their grip, to throw a punch- but my body would not move.

Then a voice fluttered to me, calm and quick, but also fearful- but it calmed me almost instantly.

"Ike, Ike, keep quiet- when I take my hand off, you _won't_ speak, ok?" It was Marth's frantic whispering. I nodded quietly and the hand was gone instantly, pulling me to sit up.

I could see his faint outline, his eyes glowing in the moonlight, radiating his pale skin, his grim expression.

"I know I'm risking everything here, we could both get kicked out- but I _can't take it anymore._" He gushed, his expression becoming more pained as he fought to keep his voice in control.

"I'm going to take you to see Pit."

I froze. All thought went out the window.

"But _please_, you have to _listen_ to me!" My mind instantly focused on him, only him. He would take me to see him. I felt new life rise within me.

"_Ike_," Marth whispered frantically. "You _have_ to keep silent, I will take you _every_ night, ok? But you _will_ _have_ to leave before everyone wakes up. You _can't_ stay with him, ok?" He was ordering weakly. I nodded. It was better than nothing.

"But you must_, must_ promise me you will _listen_ to me when I tell you to leave." Marth chocked out, grasping my hand with nearly a crushing force. I opened my mouth, but no words came out.

"…can't…promise that…" I forced out, my voice barely even there.

Marth bit his lip, "Then I can't take you." He warned lightly, pleading.

I sat there in silence before reluctantly nodding. Marth's grip softened a little, "I don't know if you will keep your word…" But Marth tugged me to my feet none the less, leading me out into the darkness.

Have you ever closed your eyes and let someone else lead you? It's a frightening experience- your muscles tense; you pull against their hand, afraid of collision, afraid of falling; afraid of the unknown.

"Marth…please..." I started, keeping my voice as low as possible; he gave my hand a light squeeze, telling me to continue in his own, subtle, way. "Please…fight for my rights." I chocked out.

Never before had I felt so connected to Marth, so grateful for him. It seemed, out of every soul here, his was the only one with such concern and care for me and Pit.

"I already am." Marth whispered back. My respect for him grew. "But they won't _listen_, they don't understand what you two share- I have told them you will die if you _don't_ see him, they say you will die if you _do_." He said; his voice strangled and concerned, like a mother over her children.

He left it at that, and I didn't press further.

The silence, apart from our shuffling feet, was eating away at me; I was becoming more and more nervous as to how Pit could have possibly worsened from his state that last time…

"Marth…how…is he?" I had to ask, to prepare myself.

Marth made a small whimper sound before reluctantly answering, "He's much, _much_ worse. He's so pale…and _thin_…his wounds won't heal, they're getting _worse_ as his wings disappear. He's not the same person, his aura is _different_, as Lucario has stated." He whispered before halting.

"We're here."

My breath hitched as I could hear a lock click and another door open. All I could see though now, was another window- large, all the objects silhouetted in the moonlight.

Marth left me to stand inside the dark room while he closed and locked the door behind us. His gentle hands took mine once again as he led me into further in.

My eyes quickly adjusted to the dim light, it was a hospital room; many beds were set up next to each other- about six against the two walls as we walked down the isle. I could also hear a faint beeping from far away.

"Ike, ok? Cover your mouth if you don't think you can keep back any noise." Marth instructed softly as he left me, placing my hands against the cool metal of a beds railing, the beeping was louder now.

I didn't trust myself. I slipped a hand quickly up to cover my mouth firmly, sure to not make any sound- or at least keep back the sounds which may enforce.

A light flicked on and the blinding white, well…blinded me. I blinked as my eyes struggled to get used to it. "S...sorry." Marth whispered from next to me, I kicked him lightly with my foot.

When my eyes did adjust, I was looking at the wall; Pale white. The beeping was a heart monitor, low, echoing beeps. I trailed my eyes over the UV drip to a pale hand. I clenched my teeth as I trailed my eyes up the deathly white fingers, to the bandage layering past the wrist, up the small bandaged arm above the white covers.

Marth gripped my arm, watching as I slowly trailed my eyes up the body, reluctant to see the face at which I so longed, but so feared, to see.

Of course, I didn't even get that far before I had to strangle back a gasp. Halfway up the arm, I saw the wing.

It was a dark grey, the white bone poking out amongst the brittle feathers, his whole back propped up above pillows as to not crush them.

I was beginning to hyperventilate, the bone poking out still had some flesh and feather attached; I quickly looked away as nausea bubbled up. Marth rubbed my arm as I swallowed thickly.

Slowly I looked back, grazing my eyes up his shoulder and neck, bandaged tightly, to his jaw, also bandaged; to his lips, cracked and dry; to his eyes, where I finally took in his face.

Sleeping, pained, unconscious. I flinched as I saw the little tube below his nose, providing him oxygen.

I removed my hand slowly, letting out a forced, dry chuckle. "They said I'd die if I saw this?" I asked humorlessly, moving silently towards the boy, leaning over to brush my fingers along his cheek.

"This, they said, would kill me?" I asked again, quieter, but with more malice. Marth swallowed lightly next to me, looking over.

"I told them, that what you would come up with _without_ being told would kill you, but yes, they said, that _this_ would kill you." He replied quietly.

I chuckled dryly again, my face softening, "I'm actually relieved…I…Thought he would be in worse condition." I admitted lightly, gently stroking Pit's face.

Something nudged my leg and I turned a little to look, Marth was pushing a chair against me lightly, "Go on, sit." He offered lightly.

I gave him one of my most grateful looks, it would be hard to be angry at Marth like I used to.

I pulled the chair up as close as I could and clutched one of the small hands gently in my own. It was limp and fragile, cold, but it seemed to help me relax, and it also had a little bit of an audible effect to the heart monitor.

Marth quickly looked up as the slow beeps gradually became faster, until they were at pace with my own heart. He smiled gently, "Pit recognizes your presence." He murmured softly, clutching my arm softly, like a mother would hold her husbands arm knowing their child will be all right.

I softly smiled, why I was imagining Marth as the mother, I couldn't quite pin point- but he never really felt like a brother.

As I continued to stroke Pit's cheek, time slowly crawled by, Marth didn't even complain about standing, he just watched silently.

"Ike…" The soft voice broke through my carefully arranged thoughts, shattering my quiet concentration. Sudden panic was unleashed inside me. I didn't want to leave him, not yet.

He tugged my arm softly, "Ike, we have to go, you can visit him again tonight..." Marth bargained, but I wouldn't hear it. It wouldn't be just me which would be affected by the parting- Pit would feel it too.

"Can't I stay a little bit longer?" I asked, gently slipping my hand from the young boys, but keeping my hand pressed against Pit's cheek.

Marth sighed sadly, "No, Mario will be here soon to check up on Pit's condition…"

I could hear the voice trail off as I stood, leaning in to press a chaste kiss to the dry, cracked lips. The heart monitor slightly sped up, but nothing more than a normal heart rate.

I sighed and rested my forehead against his; it would be a whole day before I could see him again…

But reluctantly, I let Marth pull me back out of the room, down the now slightly lit halls, back to my room.

Marth closed the door behind us both and pulled me to my bed, pushing me gently so I sat down while he sat down next to me.

He stared at me for a long time, but I wasn't looking at him; I was looking out the window, to where I could now see the pink tint in the sky.

"Ike, how do you feel?" The question in that delicate voice once again penetrated my mind. I turned to him slowly, connecting eyes for a few moments before looking back away.

"I…feel lonely." I whispered. "But relieved…" _Lighter, like a weight is off my shoulders._ I sighed and ran my hand through my hair, smiling a little, "He's still alive, he isn't that bad…" Marth cut me short, hushing me as he stood.

"Try to get some sleep, 'k? I'll be back later with some food, and I'll keep fighting for your rights," The enthusiasm in his voice made me laugh, which he hushed me again before bustling out of the room, "Night Ike," He whispered before locking the door.

I sighed and lay down, stretching stiffly as I yawned. Suddenly I felt so tired- but I was still a little worried about Pit, he looked very sick, but I was happy knowing that Pit was happy when I was there.

I grumbled lightly as sleep slowly crept up. They thought that _that_ would kill me? It'd take _much_ more than _that_…

And then, for the first time in days, I slept, dreaming of my angel.

----------------

Of course, bliss in this place? Forgive me for even thinking of it.

I was awaken a few hours later by loud complaining, slowly growing louder as it carried down the halls.

I grumbled angrily and grabbed my pillow, pressing it over my face to drown out the sounds. It didn't work anyway, the slam of my door made the yelling even louder.

"Ike! Get up!" It was Marth's nearly furious yell which made the pillow slip to my side as I glared back with bored eyes. "Get _up!_" Marth repeated, storming over to fling me to my feet angrily.

"Hello," I muttered, waving slightly to the brawlers giving me glares, what's this then?

Marth began pushing me out the door; I didn't hesitate, much anyway. "What's going on?" I asked, looking over my shoulder to the slightly shorter bluenette, who, might I say, looked positively furious.

"I'm taking you to Pit." He growled; Fox was beside us instantly, along with a few others; I could pick out Lucario and Samus easily. I was confused quickly and took a side step, catching Marth's arm while he kept storming.

"I thought you were taking me _tonight_?" I whispered in his ear.

Marth snorted, "Finally got some sense into _some_ people, they don't want the _good doctor_ to keep _this_ from you."

"This?" I asked; looking back, Fox looked pretty angry, Lucario was impassive, but there was a set line for his mouth, Samus was pouting, and the small critters, Pikachu and Kirby looked about as angry as Marth.

I looked back ahead, "So are they on our side?" I asked, inclining my head backwards, "What about Red, and Link?" Marth barked a sarcastic laugh.

"Ha! Right, Red is too cowardly to stick up for his friends, let alone _himself_, and Link just _won't_ listen!" He replied angrily, sharply pulling me to the side to slam open a door.

Everyone, well, It looked like everyone- who weren't with the small group trailing behind Marth, were in here, lounging. But they didn't look happy to see me either.

"Marth! What the hell are you doing??" Link snapped; getting off of the bed he was on. Marth glared at him and ground his teeth together.

"I brought Ike, as he qualifies as Pit's guardian more than _you _do!" He snapped viscously, "He has _more_ than a say in this!!"

"But what's going on??" I asked, irritated. Why won't they just tell me?

I got a few scared glances from some people in the room, Red, Toon Link, Ness and Lucas- they looked like they were going to answer, but didn't.

"Tell me!" I growled, turning to Marth, pleading with my eyes. Marth pulled me into the room, Fox and Samus clearing the way while Pikachu sent off warning bolts of electricity to those who stepped out.

When the crowd was parted enough I could see Mario next to Pit's bed, and Master Hand was there too- they were talking.

"_This_ is what you get a say in!" Marth growled shoving me so I slammed into the bed next to Mario.

I could hear the ruckus which Master Hand was now pulling, but only at the far corner of my mind.

Because all I could see, all I could think, was about the boy in front of me.

I was frozen; Marth was shaking my shoulder, worried, but also shouting back at master hand, probably fighting for us.

I felt sick. The wings…they were nearly gone, Pit, he looked dead already, though the agonizingly slow beeps on the monitor said otherwise.

"P..Pit!" I chocked out, shoving Mario aside to be next to him. I hunched over him, clutching his hand and cradling his cheek in the other, I was frantic. Pit was dying.

I could feel hands on me; some keeping me rooted to the spot while other's tugged, trying to pull me away.

The more I looked at the lifeless face, the more I could feel the rage bubbling up once again, until I couldn't take it anymore.

"SHUT UP!!" I yelled, spinning around to face everyone. Silence followed instantly. I glared at every face in the room for a moment before turning back to Pit.

"Pit, Pit, can you hear me? Please, stay with me…" I whispered repeatedly in his ear, panic choking my voice.

"Please Pit, don't leave me." I gasped, blinking back tears as I rested my forehead against his, ruffling my hand through his hair. "Please…open your eyes…"

"Who let him out?" I could head Master Hand instantly accuse.

"I did!" Marth had snapped back angrily, gripping my arm protectively. "Do you see how you hurt him by keeping this from him??"

I felt like crushing Marth in a hug and crying on his shoulder, but I also felt like I could ever leave Pit's side again. Marth was fighting for us. People were fighting for us.

"Pit, please, open your eyes, please," I continued, as if the words were my last. Lucario was next to me- I felt a furry paw place itself over the hand which held Pit's, and a small growl of concentration.

I lifted my head slightly to watch as Lucario did what ever he did. He withdrew his paw with a gasp and his eyes flew open. "Lu...Lucario?" I asked as he stared at me with large red eyes.

There was a shift and a twitch of the hand within mine and the room was silent. I slowly turned around to face my love. The cold cerulean eyes were staring at mine, slowly going in and out of focus.

"Pit?" I asked, though my voice wasn't relieved. I knew that I would get no reply.

When his lips slowly moved, I leant down to listen, my every nerve tingling.

"_Don't…let…him_....._die_…"

Then he was unconscious again. I didn't move. I thought I would get no answer. Technically I didn't, my Pit was still battling death. But what had answered my call was the thing which put him in this condition.

I gave the limp hand a gentle squeeze. "Wha…what did he say?" I heard Marth ask, I continued to stare at the lifeless face before me.

"He didn't say anything." I mumbled slowly after thought. Pit didn't say anything, the thing inside him did.

A hand on my shoulder gave me a slight tug, but I shrugged it off. I felt Marth move from my side, half listening to what he was saying.

"-he most that we can do is let Ike see Pit when he pleases, sure he may not leave, but it might have been easier for him if we had told him everything from the beginning." He was arguing quietly. There was quiet chatter as everyone argued with each other, but Master Hands booming voice silenced them once more.

"Ike," He addressed. I turned slightly to give him a sign I was listening, but I never took my eyes of Pit. "You are no longer restricted to your room, do as you please."

The room was slowly emptied after that, but I could feel that some people were still here. I sighed lightly as I turned to them. Marth gave me a sad glance, sitting atop the next bed, Red was lounging in the corner while Link was leaning against the wall, his arms crossed.

The Hylian boy's crystal blue eyes met mine before he looked away, "Hey, Ike, I'm…sorry," He muttered, "didn't…think it over."

I shook my head, "Don't worry about it, but you should probably apologize to Marth," I joked, Marth glared at me childishly, I smiled politely at him before turning back to Pit.

"Hey, what did he…ya know, say?" I heard Link ask. Figures his sensitive ears would have heard something. I shrugged and sat down on the chair Marth nudged towards me.

"He doesn't want me to let him die." I replied, reaching out with a nimble hand to stroke the side of the boys face. Link shifted but didn't say anything.

"I'm sorry too Ike, I should've stuck up for you two like Marth did!" I jumped in my seat when Red tackled me with a hug, I nervously smiled.

"Again, you should be apologizing to Marth- you guys really made him angry," I didn't really mind; we were fine now.

Red let me go and smiled sheepishly and turned to Marth, "Sorry?" He offered, Marth grunted and waved his hand dismissively.

"So what now?" I turned to see Link walking up. "I mean, are you going to stay here until Pit wakes up?" He rephrased, scratching the back of his ear.

I shrugged once again, "I'm not going to leave him; it might kill him." I mumbled. Link cringed.

Marth sighed, "Don't think of it like that, first of all you should be trying to make Pit feel better, not thinking about his death." He scolded.

I laughed lightly, "Yes Mother." Marth recoiled in shock, Red and Link laughing with me while Marth yelled at us, flustered.

Marth was right though. And that's what we spent the rest of the week doing- lounging in the hospital room, talking to him, making Marth mad; slowly slipping into a routine.

A few weeks later we were back there, Link and Red throwing a toy between them while Marth idly chatted. I sat there next to Pit, loitering, resting my head on the bed while I stoked his hair.

"Hey, Ike? Did you hear me?"

I grunted lightly, lifting my head and turning to face Marth.

Marth pouted, "I said 'what did you do when you went back'?" He asked, obviously curious, but also not wanting to refer to what happened after those two days.

"Well, when I got back I was greeted by some friends, we gathered, got together….you know. What'd you do when you _didn't_ go?" I asked, dismissing it,

Marth sighed, "I invited someone over."

"Oh yeah, I remember that kid- the red head guy, who was he?" I asked dully, going back to Pit, Marth blushed and Link snickered,

"Was that ya _boyfriend _Marth?" He asked, chuckling as he threw the toy to Red.

Marth blushed deeper, "Sh-shut up!" He snapped, refusing to speak after that, pouting and crossing his arms angrily, I laughed.

"He looked a little young, what's the deal?" I asked.

Marth grumbled, "He's not so young, you know." He replied stubbornly.

Red laughed loudly, "You would know!" Link laughed along with him while Marth fumed. I smiled lightly before turning back to Pit.

I nearly jumped right out of my seat and died from a heart attack.

The deep, blank cerulean eyes were partially open. I stared at them and they slowly slid to me, his head slightly moving. His lips moved but I didn't hear anything.

"Pit," I breathed, my voice high with relief as I leaned in, clutching his head lightly in my hands.

"I…I..k…e…" He pronounced each letter in a pained breath, barely audible. The three were behind me now, crowding.

"I'm here Pit," I replied, moving to rest my head on his shoulder lightly. "I'm here." He lightly gasped and shifted, I immediately moved my head up, "Pit?"

Pit's eyes were clenched together tightly in pain, "I-it's nothing." He breathed.

"Pit, tell me where it hurts," I commanded lightly when I could see tears well up at his eyes.

He let out a soft sob as he clenched his teeth, "I…Ike…it _hurts._" He gasped, letting out a small cry as he squirmed weakly.

"Pit, _where does it hurt_?" I asked a little more forcefully as I stood up quickly, looming over him.

The dull eyes opened and locked with mine, the endless agony in them pulling me in, suffocating me, then they slipped closed again as he cried out once more. "Pit?!" I gasped, placing a hand on the side of his face, another on his shoulder.

"Ike, help me!" Pit lightly cried, tears rolling down. Marth came onto the scene the same time I realized.

I frantically glanced at the Prince, who glanced back instantly, "Don't hurt him," Marth said quickly as he sprinted to the other side of the bed.

Pit's wings. I was so stupid for not realizing sooner. "Red! Get Mario!" I barked as Pit's cries slowly became louder, more frantic. Red nodded, terrified as he pulled Link with him to run out of the room.

"Pit? Pit? We're going to lift you up a little ok?" Marth said as calm as he could before connecting eyes with me, I nodded and pulled the covers back gently before slinking my arm around the small of his back and moving my other to gently grip his shoulder, Marth mirrored me.

We gently pulled Pit up so he was sitting and Pit latched himself to me, digging his nails into my back as he cried out in pain into my chest. I put a hand on the back of his head while Marth quickly went to the medicine cupboard.

"Pit, it'll be all right- Marth, can't you do anything??" I gasped as Pit shuddered and screamed, digging his nails in deeper. I cringed looking at his wings which looked even more broken, some more feathers dissolving.

Marth came back with a small bottle. "Mario would use this to help him with the pain, but I don't know how we're going to get him to take it." Marth replied, coming to my side.

"How did Mario make him take it?" The words were out of my mouth before they were in my mind.

Marth shook his head weakly, "He would make Pit drink it, but…" The problem was obvious- with Pit screaming and squirming as he was, how the hell was making him drink something possible?

Something was nagging the corner of my mind, a memory pushing itself to the surface…

"_Hey Ike! Look at this!!" __Samus cried, running up, brandishing a book in my face. I blinked a few times before actually looking at the picture and then shoved it away._

"_Samus! Come on!!!" I growled, she giggled._

"_Don't tell me you haven't French kissed anyone Ike?"_

I blushed despite my condition. Why the hell did I remember that now?? My mind was working double time and was already making scenarios for this. I gulped lightly.

Would I have to administer the medicine to Pit directly??

I gulped again and turned to Marth, "Give me that and whatever you do _don't ask._" I growled, swiping the medicine from the confused Prince, popping the lid and taking a swig.

It was bitter. Very bitter. I shoved the medicine bottle back to Marth who hastily caught it; I could hear his questions now.

Quickly I reached out, gripping Pit's face gently, but securely before leaning in, capturing his lips and shoving my tongue in quickly.

Pit struggled lightly before gulping. His struggles slowly weakened, the screams which were muffled into my mouth slowly disappearing. I broke the kiss gasping for breath and Pit slumped weakly against me. Marth placed a hand on my shoulder and I glared at him weakly.

"Whatever you're going to say, don't" I pleaded quietly, Marth smiled lightly in response and turned to see Mario, Link and Red burst into the room, quickly leaving my side with hands raised, quickly telling them that the situation was taken care of.

I slowly moved my arms to lightly encircle Pit's waist as he breathed lightly against my chest.

"_Ike_." I looked down, the colder voice would always surprise me.

"What?" I asked, irritated.

"…_I'm…sorry, I see how much you care for him._" It whispered, I grunted in reply, "_I…will do my best to keep Pit alive, but you must pull him to the surface. His memory is tricking him… you will need to show him who you are; he can't remember everything- only that you are important."_

"Why did you do this to him in the first place?" I grumbled quietly, it shifted against me,

"_I shall explain…later…"_ Pit's body slumped against me fully, he was asleep.

_You better keep that promise, _I thought angrily as I gently lay Pit back down.

Marth stumbled to my side, "Ike, are you ok?" He asked quietly while Mario came over to check Pit. I hesitated before replying.

"Marth, I'm hungry, can we get something to eat?"

------------------


	11. Chapter 10 part 2

Part two is so short ;_; after all I said about having so much to write.

Heh, the way I ramble on this story will probably have 20 chapters or so XD Also, the lemon will be! But it might even be at the end of this…don't wait up.

Ok, yay! Chapter 10 part 2 is now finished and I can start the fresh new chapter 11! :D this was pretty annoying to write- mostly in fact I had genius stuff, but my computer restarted and didn't save it…Oh well, what's done is done. (also, sorry about any typos which may appear…)

Enjoy and review! Next chapter might be delayed because I'm just that lazy at the moment D: p.s. Blind Game Again by Bad Luck was playing while I finished this; I think this song somehow influenced it…either way, that song is epic win. Go listen to it!!

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It was pretty late when I decided that now was the time to go visit and get the answers I needed.

"Ike?" Marth mumbled, sitting up groggily on the couch while I stood. I glanced down at the Prince through the veil of darkness and bopped him lightly on the head.

"Just get back to sleep, you need it. I'll be back soon." I muttered before moving off, hearing the reassuring thud of Marth falling against the couch, once again deeply asleep.

My footsteps echoed in the silence of the pitch black corridor as I traveled. It was eerily disturbing and I found myself quickening my pace, the weight of an unseen pressure building on my conscience.

The hospital room was worse. It was cold, and even though it was dark, I could see much better as moonlight bathed everything in a bright silver glow. The scene was hideously beautiful, dead feathers scattered lightly on the floor and the small frame I knew too well sitting atop the window sill, staring out into the night with dead eyes.

I paused at the door, letting it swing softly shut behind me, staring, waiting until I was acknowledged. And the silence dragged on.

The soft swish of scratching fabric was fitting as he turned to face me, letting go of his legs to dangle them off the ledge as he titled his head, "_You won't come closer?_" He queried, lacing his fingers together.

My invitation was there, but I didn't take it. We stared at each other in silence for a second which laced into painfully slow minutes- but I could imagine the looks our eyes held were very different indeed.

He sighed soundlessly and waved a hand to a chair placed a few feet away from him, "_Please, sit. Allow me to explain…this." _His eyes dropped to the side while his hand indicated to himself.

I hesitated before making my way over, sitting down stiffly as I glared, my arms tightly crossing together, gripping my sleeves so tightly I feared it might rip the fabric. "Then, explain." I said, trying to keep my voice calm.

The Pit before me bowed his head in understanding, "_What do you wish for me to explain?_" It was kind words, but the tone dripped with venom, and the glare I also received warned me to remember my place. This Pit didn't like to be pushed around.

I took a deep breath, "What are you?" I asked, locking my eyes with the glazed blue staring at me, suddenly blanked.

"_A very go__od question," _Was all it replied before lapsing into silence.

I waited for it to continue, but it didn't. "Wait…so…you don't know…yourself?" I asked, the pieces slowly clicking together. It glared at me with hate.

"_One could say that.__" _It spat angrily, ripping its gaze away to glare out into the night.

"Why did you do that to Pit?" I asked quietly. The silence was back with its friend tension; it seemed this Pit was ignoring me- or so it seemed.

"_Self preservation__"_ It replied calmly, looking back.

"What do you mean?" I asked, pushing a little further. It sighed another breathless sigh and crossed its arms, leaning back into the corner of the window to gaze lazily at me.

"_Every day Pit gets happier, every day I grow w__eaker; there was too much light. But I know now that my thesis was wrong," _I looked on, waiting for an explanation. It growled out a sigh.

"_I know now that if the boy dies I die along with him. It seems either way I was destined to fade." _It growled, but not angry at me per-say.

"After everything you've done to Pit, I would be sure you would bring him along with you if you were to die?" I pointed out.

It snorted, _"I've underestimated your attention span. Yes, true. But…I just can't bring myself to deal the final blow." _It glared at the wall, anger and shame at itself evident in the dead eyes, now faintly gleaming with a new light.

"Can't deal the final blow?" I asked, egging it on. It glared at me.

"_I'm not stupid, I know you're digging." _It noted, I shifted, growing more and more irritated by the second, resisting the urge to grab it by the neck.

"I came here for explanations, yet you avoid the questions." I replied, clenching my hands.

It paused before looking away angrily, _"You're sharp. By saying I can't kill the boy, I mean it. Something stops me, but don't get big-headed, it is not his memories of you. Well…not…fully."_

Oh, great. I made it sad? "What do you mean 'not fully'?" I asked unsurely.

It glanced at me, _"He loves you- the feelings are overwhelming. It makes me hesitate, and for the slightest moment I can feel his pain, I can understand. And all I want is for him to be happy._

"_So I stopped trying to kill him. It obviously wouldn't work from my hand. The next best thing is hurting him immensely." _It cringed, gripping its arm. _"Once again, I was wrong."_

It stared at me, imploring me to understand, but I couldn't. "Why were you hurting him? What do you mean it didn't work?" I asked, confused. It sighed sadly, looking away, before suddenly frustration took over.

"_I hurt him because he disgusted me." _It growled, _"__**He**__ got to live in the light! __**He**__ got to live without fear! I __**hated**__ it! I hurt him to show him __**this**__ is the pain he caused me, to make him suffer for hurting me! He had friends, a life; all I had was the darkness and the few glimmers of his memories."_

"But he doesn't know he hurts you! All he knows is that you are hurting him- you succeeded in making him afraid, you made him suffer, but he suffers because he doesn't understand _why_ you are doing this," I spoke up, the anger radiating from the form in front of me affecting my speech and my calm façade.

It glared at me, but my speech wasn't over, I didn't have any words planned, but they ran out in a never-ending stream, succeeding in only making the form in front of me hate me more.

"Pit wouldn't hurt anyone! But you would repeatedly hurt him over and over and _over_ again! You broke his self confidence and his mind! And then you did _this_- and now you're _both_ dying!"

"_Shut up!" _It yelled, clamping its hands over its ears, clenching its eyes shut, _"Shut up! Shut up! Shut __**up**__!!!" _It screamed, agony writing across its face as its voice broke, _"I didn't mean to kill him!!" _It screamed, tears flowing down in a steady stream as it stared at me wide eyes.

I hurt him, I hurt him hard, you could tell just by looking into his eyes. But I couldn't bring myself to care; this was the thing which was _killing_ Pit. But_ why??_ _Why Pit_?!?

"You didn't mean to, but you did!! But tell me, _tell _me- why his wings?!? Why??" I yelled at the quivering form before me, its tears freely flowing as he stared with wide eyes.

He clenched his teeth, trying to glare through his fear, _"Without his wings he can never return, he will never fly again. I took his wings to show him how it feels! To be trapped, to never fly! To never be free!! But I didn't mean-"_

"If you didn't mean to then why did you??" I yelled, clenching the sides of my chair to anchor me to the spot, to keep me from grabbing the boy and throttling him.

"_You wouldn't understand! Every day he gets happier I grow weaker! It was too bright! I needed to bring some darkness back! I didn't want to fade!! I didn't mean to…"_

He had stopped, covering his mouth to restrain a sob. _"I-I didn't mean to…I only wanted to hurt him, I never wanted to kill…" _

"Well you succeeded! You hurt him, you made him suffer and you made him afraid! He must have begged you to stop, but you didn't! Tell me truthfully, look me in the eyes and tell me you didn't mean to kill him!!" I yelled, slamming my feet on the ground as I stood, towering over the small form.

It stared at me with wide eyes, the silence piercing- creating ever more tension in the room.

"_I…I…" _It gasped, trying to reply, shaking under my gaze. _"I…I'm……sorry…" _It gasped, shuddering as it stared in front of itself absently.

I stood there, my hands shaking as I sucked in air, trying to force my body to relax. While I struggled to gain my composure time sluggishly trailed onwards.

"_Do…do you have anything else…you want me to explain?" _It asked quietly, looking down.

I couldn't enjoy the effect I had on him, making the creature which had attempted to rape me once before now tame and wrapped around my finger.

I stiffly sat down, placing my face in my hands as I tried to control my breathing, "Earlier you said that Pit can't remember me, that his memory is tricking him?" I asked, slowly looking up.

The form nodded, _"Ah…right…Because of the…force of his wings……yeah- it affected the rest of his being, creating a…temporary amnesia. If you can make him remember, he will, but he won't be able to remember on his own."_

"Amnesia?" I asked incredulously, the form snorted.

"_Please, a cause has an effect, b__e glad he remembered you at all- that's all he probably will remember for a while- 'Ike equals important.'" _It replied, using his fingers to mime quotation marks as he spoke.

"And how am I meant to make him remember?" I asked, it shrugged,

"_Some memories will be easier to trigger, say,_ _making him remember you might take a while because he has so much to remember, where as the prince boy he might remember much quicker because he was, and I quote his thoughts-"_

"A mother figure?" I cut in, it haltered before snickering,

"_Yeah, something like that. But also, it will be harder to make him remember smaller things, so just make him remember the important stuff and hopefully the other stuff will come back over time."_

"Why are you being so helpful?" I asked. It froze.

"_I'm sorry for what I did." _It replied, _"And I see now that I'm going to die and I can't let this boy die along with me, so I might as well give up._"

I sucked in a quick breath, "Why do I feel as if it's a trap?" I asked; it shrugged once again,

"_You never know by trusting the enemy. But if you really are suspicious, let me put it this way- If I let Pit live, I can continue to make his life worse and continue to try __and live, I can continue to prolong my existence, instead of fading now and leaving no lasting image behind me."_

Seemed reasonable. _"It's up to you if you want to trust me or not." _It said bluntly, back to his cold manor, only the drying trails of tears indicated to me that what had just happened here was real.

It took me a few moments to sort my thoughts, "Will he ever get his wings back?" I asked quietly after a few minutes silence.

The Pit before me shrugged, looking away, _"He will need to earn them back. The wings he has now will continue to disappear, and he __**will**__ get sicker." _

I blinked. "Can you tell me about his wings? They seem pretty important..." I asked; it rolled its eyes.

"_Without his wings, a lot of things __can and will happen. He will starve, as the real nutrients he needs are from light, food will keep him alive, but will do little to make him feel better. Also his wings are the source of his energy, so he will become more fatigued and tired as they disappear, he also can get sick very easily-"_

I raised my hands to stop him, "Ok, so without them he'll get worse, what happens if they completely disappear?"

"_For a normal angel the angel would die, but Pit has too much faith in life, he will struggle to hold onto the hope, and being down on earth will weaken his condition…it depends on how much you make him want to stay as to how long he will want to hold on-"_

"Just answer it please." I stopped him again. It looked at me, "_He won't live very long, about a few days to a week at most." _He replied.

It took me off guard. "How will he earn his wings back??" I asked quickly, the form shrugged, pulling one of the limp wings around to inspect it.

"_I dunno__; you'll just have to try everything. If you can't get anything by the time your time's up I'll try to bargain with Paulentina for you. But don't ask me to, I won't do it now."_

"Why not?" I asked.

The form glared back at me, _"If you couldn't notice, I'm not really 'allowed' back into heaven, I'm not an angel, and I don't belong there. They probably will only let me back in if it's an emergency." _He snapped. _"But even then it would be a miracle."_

"_Now," _He interrupted me before I could reply, _"From the condition here, he has about two thirds left, you better hurry. The more he tries to hold on now the longer it will take for his wings to disappear, but it will cause him tremendous pain. I'll try to reason with him while he's unconscious; you stay by his side, ok?"_

I nodded lightly and it continued, _"Look, maybe if you can bring him fully back the disintegration will stop? Or maybe just become incredibly slow, I dunno, just keep at him-"_

His sudden stop confused me, he was just staring.

"Ah!" I gasped in shock when he coughed violently, blood trickling down the corner of his mouth. He was shivering, a hand clutched to his chest.

He screamed in agony, hunching over. I froze. Pit's own scream had echoed in my mind, binding me to the spot. I was mortified.

He coughed again, splattering blood onto the floor as his eyes became unfocused. Slowly they slid to look at me, _"W...what'cha doin you…idiot?" _He rasped, covering his mouth as he smothered another cough.

_Move dammit!! _My mind was screaming as I tried to move, but my limbs were locked into place. The Pit in front of me took in deep, ragged breaths, clutching his chest tighter,

"_Get help you dumbass!" _He growled impatiently before lapsing into another coughing fit.

I flew out of the room, running faster then I would have thought possible- it was mere moments before I was slamming my fists on Mario's room door at the end of the corridor, but those moments didn't seem at all like moments, but hours.

The door creaked open to reveal the man rubbing his eyes groggily, "Ike? Wattare' you doing?" He asked, his voice going higher between syllables.

"Please! Hurry! Please help Pit!" I nearly screamed in his face.

Mario immediately began bustling around, but my patience had run out, and before I was even sure that the doctor was trailing behind, I had raced off back to Pit's aid.

"Pit!" I yelled frantically, running and falling to my knees next to the form lying lifeless on the ground. I pulled him half onto my lap while I cradled his head timidly.

The eyes slowly slipped half open, the distorted cool cerulean blue staring up at me. "_D…umbass…"_ The other replied, smirking slightly before it passed out in my arms.

----------------

"Oh Ike!"

I lifted my head from my arms slowly to see the prince by my side. It was only a few minutes after Mario had gotten Pit back to the bed and an anesthetic running though him- impressive.

"What on earth happened?" Marth asked, putting an arm around my shoulders. I couldn't speak, I felt numb, tired. "Ike, please talk to me…"

"He said that he will try to get Pit to wake up…and that the rest is up to us." I summarized quietly; of course, and then I realized the response I _had_ planned to say was 'nothing'. Great.

"He? Huh…wait? What do you mean Ike?" Marth asked, tongue-tied and confused.

I sighed lightly, "Never mind Marth-"

"No Ike, tell me! I won't keep looking the other way for you two anymore!" Marth cut me off, anger obvious in his words as he took his arm away. Someone must have woken him up.

"I'll tell you later-"

"No Ike! You'll tell me now!!"

I tiredly looked up at the prince, his face was flushed and he had the look of betrayal about him. "Don't take it personally Marth. It will be easier to explain later." _When I have the help of what I'm explaining._

Marth fumed for a few minutes before regaining himself, placing an arm back around my shoulders. "Ike…" He sighed in frustration, "It's not just you and Pit in this- I'm here for you guys too."

I smirked lightly, "I know that- where would we be without our wise mother to keep us in line?" He hit my shoulder with his fist angrily but didn't object, instead he sighed.

"You'd better be grateful this mother is working overtime for you kids." He muttered, giving my shoulders a squeeze.

_Odd now that he had admitted to the role he didn't seem to fit it_. I shook off the thought, brought back by the prince's soft voice, "Ike, what happened? Tell me."

I sighed and ran my hand through my hair, "We were talking and he just started coughing up blood." I tried to say calmly, but my voice wavered and an involuntary shudder coursed through me at the memory.

"You were talking?" Marth asked, recoiling back from me. "Pit was awake??"

I sighed and rested my head on my arms, "Not exactly, Pit wasn't, but I _was_ talking with _a_ Pit." I muttered; my eyes stinging from lack of sleep.

Marth pouted angrily, "You better remember to tell me everything," He warned before ruffling my hair roughly.

I glared at him and he smirked, "I'll go get you something to eat," Was all he said before he was gone, leaving me alone.

I sighed deeply and looked down at the face of my sleeping angel. "Please wake up soon Pit; I don't want you to die…" I breathed, lacing my fingers with his and resting my head next to his arm.

I let myself fall asleep, trying to will my mind to break through the thick veil which kept us from being together.


	12. Chapter 11

I feel really let down with myself! I didn't even start this for ages since I posted the last chapter! Damn my ever changing obsessions 3 I'm horrible.

But! I wanted to write this. So its here, and I apologize for any spelling errors, weird sentences and overall I apologize for how long it took to get this up. (Also apologize for overall crappy quality. I really feel bad about this chapter)

Disclaimer as always and review! I like them :3 very much.

I may have played a bit too much Phoenix Wright. It's all I think about now. I'm just too cowardly to write a fanfiction about it of my own.

Also, poll on my page- if I get enough results I _might_ put up request fics.

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_Pit…_

_Pit…_

My eyes opened slowly. But I couldn't tell if I had opened them or not.

It was dark, but I couldn't see any shadows- I couldn't see anything at all. I felt heavy….there was a weight pressing down on me, but I couldn't find the strength to push it off.

_Pit…_

The voice kept echoing in my head, each new sound ensuring a painful throb. I moved my hand to press against the pain, but my hand didn't move. I whimpered softly, closing my eyes.

I felt as if I was sinking…drowning in this darkness…

_Pit!_

I groaned against the voice and opened my eyes. I wanted to ask who was there…but when I opened my mouth no sound came…

_Pit…Pit, __wake up…you must wake up Pit…he'll die…_

'Who will die?' I wanted to ask. A throb broke my thoughts and I whimpered again…it hurt…everything hurt…my back…it burned…my chest…weight…

I felt my eyes close against the darkness and I felt myself being submerged further…yes…sleep…peaceful sleep…sleep that heals everything…

Something grabbed me; roughly pulling me up. I opened my eyes to come face to face with my own.

The cerulean eyes before me were narrowed in spite; he seemed to blend in with the darkness. His fists clutched the white fabric between his hands tighter, pulling me closer so he could growl in my face.

_You can't die now!! He needs you! I __**won't**__ let you die!!_

His words echoed in my head though he never spoke. The fog clouding my mind eased a little from his anger, I saw now that behind the spite in his eyes a small glimmer of fear flickered strongly.

'Who needs me?' I asked, my lips silently moving as I fell limp against his hands. He gave me a sharp, warning jerk; bringing me up harshly, close to him again.

_Remember! Remember him!! Ike! Ike needs you!! Don't die before you tell him how you truly feel!!__ Keep your promise!!_

'How I truly feel?' Promise? What an odd thing to say. But…Ike…why does that sound so familiar…why…why do I…feel like this…

_Don't you __**dare**__ die Icarus!! WAKE. UP.!_

I'm asleep…? The me before me started pulling me up…I could feel the numbness wearing off...I could feel the pain finally settling in.

Then I opened my eyes.

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The pain was almost unbearable. It took all I had not to scream.

The light blinded me, I closed my eyes against it, trying to wriggle away, but there was a heavy weight pressing across my chest, stinging. I tried to raise my hand to push it off, but my hand was caught on something.

I groaned lightly as I turned my head- the small action sending a bolt of white hot flame down my back.

I opened my eyes unwillingly, squinting against the blurriness. I could see some blue tufts mixed in with the white…but that was about it before I closed my eyes to stop the burning…

The longer I lay there trying to keep my pain bottled up, the easier it became- little by little, the pain fading as I became more used to it…soon the burning across my chest became a numb sensation, topped only by the constant burning between my shoulder blades which wouldn't go away.

"I..I..ke…" I don't know why…but whispering his name somehow made the pain just that bit more bearable.

"Pit…?"

If I could move, I would have jumped at the response and sudden, swift movement from next to me, the weight on my chest disappearing and something squeezing my hand.

The constant white behind my eyelids was blocked out and I took the moment to open my eyes once more, blinking away the blurriness.

"Pit! You're awake!! You really are awake!"

The weight on my chest was back accompanied by something pressed against my neck. I could feel hitched, warm breath ghosting over my skin, but I didn't pull away…I didn't want to…

But…why….?

The weight was gone again and a blue-haired man was looking down at me with relief written across his face and radiating off of him in waves. There was something in the shape of his face, the colour of his eyes…something about his scent, which made me feel so relaxed even though it was strong enough for me to gag- though I couldn't remember why everything about this person was so soothing…

"Ike…" I breathed. That was the one word which seemed to fit this puzzle…but I only had a handful of the pieces. It made me ashamed that I couldn't remember anything about this person when he seemed to know me so dearly…

"How do you feel??" The way his forehead creased with worry just made me feel worse, I didn't want to make this person worried, especially not about me.

"My back hurts," I replied. My throat hurt too, my voice was scratched and chocked.

"Do you need anything? Water?" He asked again.

"Water would be nice…" I said as he helped me sit up. I swallowed thickly against the pain running up my spine and across my stomach and chest, flaring and leaving burning trails.

"I'll be right back- Marth! Marth, wake up!" Marth…why did that sound so familiar?

"Ike?" The voice…it was almost velvety…

"Watch Pit for me, I'm going to get him some water." I could hear the murmured hum reply and could also hear a chair grating against the floor, footsteps coming closer.

I blinked and rubbed my eyes slowly, movement made me dizzy…the room spun and I felt sick…every time I thought I had a grip on my sight, everything would go out of focus again.

"Thank god you're awake…" The tired sigh of relief and sudden gentle arms around me caught me off guard, "You had everyone worried! How do you feel?"

Something in his voice as he said those words made me relax against him, "…I feel a little sick…and the room won't stay in one place…" I croaked.

The person chuckled and rubbed my arm soothingly, "It'll pass, any other complaints?"

I blinked and some shapes decided to stay where they should be. I was in a bed with white sheets and railing on one side…I looked down and saw the blue gauntlets on the arms around me. I trailed my eyes to the slightly long blue hair with a small tiara atop it all, framing a slender, masculine yet feminine face.

"Marth?" I asked. It was the same feeling as before…the name just fit this person perfectly…everything about him just said…just _screamed_ Marth…my head throbbed numbly as I tried desperately to remember.

He smiled at me warmly and rubbed my arm again, it was as if he was trying to be gentle with me, as if any sudden movement left unchecked would shatter me to pieces…

"Where am I?" I asked. I couldn't remember anything…Marth sighed.

"You're in the hospital room at the smash mansion. You've been here for nearly over a week." He answered, his eyes suddenly growing sad.

"Was I sleeping?" I asked, rubbing my eyes tiredly. He smiled softly, "I guess, you could put it that way…" He sighed and rested the side of his face against mine- the faint smell of lavender and something…fresh tickling my senses.

"Thank god you're awake," He repeated, tensing his arms around me, as if he was refraining from crushing me against himself in joy, "Thank _god..._" He repeated again, whispering it softly, happily.

The other person, Ike; came back then. Marth looked up and smiled warmly at him, he looked back with a sheepish grin. I was a little lost…the pain was excruciating…but I couldn't remember what happened…

Marth moved down the bed, away from me, so Ike could come next to me. He held out the glass and I reached up for it weakly. He smiled slightly, a glint in his eye- something in his smile…a knowing, sad smile.

He took my hand and pressed the glass to my palm, lacing his hand over mine as he brought it up. I drank carefully but stopped to cough- the water chafed my throat, but I felt a little better. He placed the glass on a small side table next to the bed, I watched him wearily.

He slowly sat down where Marth had previously been, the other boy moving closer and resting an arm around Ike's shoulders. Ike looked at me with a tint of sadness in his relieved eyes- it didn't suit him. I didn't want him to make that face.

"Pit…" He breathed, lacing one of his hands with mine, I wanted to pull away- but I was also afraid to move, I settled for a confused look towards him. "Marth…I told you I'd tell you later." He said gently, his eyes softening as he looked at me. Marth nodded.

"It's later…" He agreed quietly, rubbing Ike's shoulder.

Ike took in a deep breath and looked away from me, "I'll try to explain what I can, but…Marth?" He asked, looking over his shoulder.

Marth titled his head a little, "Yes, Ike?" Ike sighed and ran a hand through his hair, squeezing my hand which was interlocked with his other.

"I won't be able to explain it all now, ok?"

I looked over to Marth to watch his reaction- he huffed lightly and puffed his cheeks out before nodding. Ike looked back at me, catching my gaze once again.

"How does your head feel?" He asked me quietly. I tilted my head lightly and narrowed my eyes a little in thought.

"Everything's…foggy." I murmured in reply.

He nodded and glanced away for a second before looking back. "Now, I want you to tell me the truth, even if it'll hurt. Do you know who Marth is?" He asked calmly, motioning with his free hand at Marth, who looked quite shocked at the statement.

I looked over at Marth and guilt started to sink in when he looked back with wide blue eyes. I looked down and away. "I-It all seems very familiar…but…I don't…" I murmured. I could hear Marth's huffed complaints to Ike, but I couldn't hear anything from the other.

"Pit?" I paused before looking up and locking eyes nervously with Ike. His eyes were piercing, sad. "Do you know who I am?" I gulped thickly and looked away again- Why?? Why can't I remember??

I felt even guiltier. I felt like crawling under the sheets and dying- I just wanted this to end. I whimpered lightly- I didn't want to answer but his gentle hand hooked my chin and turned me back to face him.

His eyes. Dear Paulentina, _his eyes. _He was suffering from this…he knew. He knew that I didn't- he knew what I didn't. I swallowed again and felt my face flushing as my eyes stung. Why do I feel so bad? Just who is he??

"Pit," He tried again, his voice low, pleading. Marth beside him looked…he just looked…so sad. I shook my head, blinking my eyes furiously,

"No." I answered; my voice breaking as my eyes burned from tears which threatened to spill.

"No, who are you Ike?? Why, why when you touch me- why do I feel so happy?? Why when you are sad I feel like my heart is breaking??" I asked angrily, I wanted to know!! I needed to know! Who is he to me??

His hand slowly unlaced my fingers, but a paler hand held his on top of mine. Both Ike and I looked at Marth in shock. He was nearly scowling at us.

"Oh no you don't! You think I'd let you two just drop it like that?? Ike, what's going on?!" He commanded.

Ike shakily sighed and rested his face in his free hand. I sniffed as angry tears slowly crept over my skin. I just wanted to die right here, my heart ached terribly, but I don't know why!

Ike took a few calm, deep breaths before lifting his head a little, "He has a temporary amnesia. 'He' said that Pit will remember things, but it will take time." The way his voice wavered in agony…I slipped my free hand slowly up to clench my chest. It hurt…it hurt worse than the stabbing pains in my back…

Marth recoiled, "Temporary amnesia?" He asked; scrutinizing Ike's every move. Ike lifted his head to look me in the eyes, holding my hand gently- Within the deep sea blue I could see deep sadness, but also something else…I couldn't place it, but it made my heart flutter.

He stared at me for quite a while, it was uncomfortable- I wanted to jump out of the bed and away from him, but something kept holding me back. When the initial surprise and anger had subsided, I was fighting something different. My back hurt horribly, there was a small pinprick of white hot flame which was slowly moving across…burning.

I grimaced and broke the eye contact, slightly writhing- arching my back a fraction- the burning was getting worse- it hurt! It _hurt!!_

"Pit??" Ike's worried voice floated to me over the sea of pain- over the fog clouding my mind. I whimpered as I arched further. White hot pain shot down my back and I screamed as something behind be shot up.

Marth and Ike both gasped. Ike moved in front of me, grabbing my shoulders and pulling me into a fierce hug- I buried my face into his neck, clenching my hands into the fabric of his shirt. I sobbed in pain and shuddered as more pricks of white hot fire ran across my back.

"Ike! Look!" I could hear Marth…He was afraid?

"I know!" Ike growled back, he seemed desperate, what was going on…? What is this pain??

I relaxed when I felt the pain subsiding. I felt drained…tired…I pushed away from Ike slightly to look over my shoulder. Dark grey wings which looked dead…I winced and looked away when I saw points of white sticking out of the cracked feathers. So that was what it was.

"Ike…" I looked up to see Marth holding out a large feather- one of my flight feathers, and numerous other feathers in his hand. Ike reached out and picked up my flight feather. I watched wearily as he brought it closer to him, and I nearly screamed in horror when it began dissolving into thin air.

Ike's arm around me tightened. I looked up- he was looking on at the feather with one of the grimmest, darkest expressions I'd ever seen. "…Marth." He said lowly.

Marth looked up, "Yes Ike?" Ike let the feather fall from his hand as he turned to me fully, slinking an arm around my waist and the other under my legs and lifting me as if I weighed nothing.

"I-Ike!" Marth protested, Ike shouldered past him,

"I'm taking him outside; being stuck inside all day can't be healthy for him." Ike said bluntly.

He took me down a hall, through a room- where quite a few people looked up and fixed me with an odd stare, before taking me through glass doors and into a wide meadow like garden.

I blinked against the sunlight and felt the wind through my hair- this all seemed so natural…He took me over to the shade of a large oak tree and set me down at its trunk. I looked up when the leaves rustled and swayed in the breeze- almost as if the tree itself was happy.

He sat himself next to me and Marth hesitantly sat on my other side. It was silent for quite a while after that- but a peaceful silence. For the slightest moment, I forgot all the pain, all the hurt…I smiled as another welcome breeze flitted through my hair.

"Marth…" The dead voice startled me; Marth beside me looked towards Ike. "…do you wanna try getting Pit to remember you?" He asked. Marth looked on quietly, clasping his hands in his lap before looking towards me.

"Pit?" I looked up to meet his calm, gentle blue eyes, "If it's all right with you?" He asked quietly. It seemed a natural reflex that I smiled at him and nodded- something normal.

Marth smiled back at me before looking at Ike, "How..?"

"Just tell him about yourself." Ike replied, leaning against the tree and tuning himself out from the world. I frowned sadly at him before looking back at Marth.

Marth scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "Well...I'm Prince Marth Lowell of Altea…umm…I'm one of the sword fighters here- oh, here we do battles…the smash mansion I mean…" He rambled nervously.

Something clicked…I tilted my head to the side. "Brawls, right?" I asked.

He blinked a few times before nodding, "Yeah- you were a pretty good fighter, you'd give me, Ike and Link quite a workout." He laughed,

I pouted, "_'were'_?" I asked, "I still _am_, I never told Master Hand that I'd _retire_, did I?"

Marth looked at me oddly. Well, I may not know anyone…but brawling…it was second nature here! I was invited here by Master Hand…

"Well...no..." Marth looked stunned, Ike chuckled beside me.

"You're meant to be making him remember _you_ Marth." He reminded. Marth scowled angrily and stood up, crossing his arms and pouting,

"You're making me do it all by myself! It's kind of harder then you'd think, you know! Get up and help me you stubborn child!" He complained angrily.

Wait…that seemed familiar… Ike snorted and rolled his eyes, I glared at him,

"I never said I'd help, did I _mother?_" He retorted.

Marth fumed and I hit my hand on the grass, "Sure sounded like you were, you're just trying to wind him up, aren't you?" I complained.

Marth turned around to look at me again, but I was too busy scowling at the calmly reclining boy before me. "Why does everyone take advantage of Marth??" I complained; throwing my hands up angrily, once again Ike ignored me, only making me angrier.

I yelped in surprise when I was pulled back into a gentle hug from my side. I looked up to see Marth smiling warmly down at me, "_Thank_ you, Pit." He said happily, running a hand through my hair and smiling wider.

I smiled back before poking my tongue out at Ike, Marth copied me, we both huffed when Ike only yawned and turned his head away.

"Marth," I said, readjusting myself so his hug wasn't hurting me.

"Hmm?" He replied.

"…who is Ike to me…?" I murmured quietly near his ear.

His smile fell a little. "I'll let you find out for yourself, Pit. It wouldn't be fair if I told you." I pouted up at him and huffed childishly- I didn't notice the grateful side-glance that Ike had shared with Marth.

-----Ike's P.O.V------

It can be a little awkward at times like this I guess. A few moments ago Marth was rubbing his victory in my face, but now, he's protecting me from the worst pain possible.

I quickly dropped my gaze through when Pit looked back. The whole time…I'd just want to run away. But then again, knowing I would be leaving my angel…causing him pain; that was what kept me close.

I was a little jealous of Marth though- Pit remembered everything about him so quickly…He doesn't even recognize me. I can see the curiosity in his eyes, but I can't tell him, it might make it all that much harder. For both of us.

"Ike?" I didn't turn my head to look at him; just his gentle, confused voice was enough to make me want to cry- I don't know what his eyes would do to me.

I did hum in response though. It was only polite.

"Will you tell me?" I paused before glancing at him. He sat there sadly, pleading. I looked away quickly, moving my arms behind my head, clenching onto them tightly until the fabric of my collar strained, threatening to rip.

I took a deep breath before thinking it over, though I knew what my answer would be already. "I can't."

I could hear his confused intake of breath; I could hear him tilt his head, "Why not?"

Because it's too hard. I turned my head away from him, I wouldn't answer. I couldn't answer. I heard Marth intervene.

"Ike, do you mind..?" The question held no permission to tell Pit, but only to voice his thoughts- probably about why I couldn't answer the innocent question. I hummed in reply, closing my eyes.

"Pit," Marth started, I could hear the quick movement of Pit's garments across the grass.

"Why can't he tell me Marth??" The question pulled at the strings of my heart.

"He can't, because it will hurt him." Marth was always very good at that- being correct about stuff which was hidden away.

"What do you mean…?" I heard Marth sigh and shift,

"You don't remember, you really don't remember? Anything at all?" The question hung in the air heavily, creating a thick silence. I heard Pit move and tensed at the soft hand which touched my arm.

"…no. But…" I peeked open an eye, looking down at him- he had his head hung sadly, his eyes closed in concentration, my heart clenched tighter.

"..But…I can feel it there…something…something- I can't remember!! It's so frustrating!" Pit whined angrily, very much collapsing against my side.

I paused before moving my left arm around his shoulders lightly. He looked so defeated, pouting angrily as he stared out in front of him. I smirked lightly and he huffed, perhaps…perhaps what the other pit meant about taking longer to remember me…

"Do you know what love is Pit?" I asked.

Perhaps it would only take so long for me to be remembered, because he doesn't know what to remember? He never knew…and I delved into his lack of knowledge….forgotten.

Pit looked up at me with a pout, "I've…heard stories of it." He said guiltily, but there was a hidden glint in his eyes, he was suspecting something.

"So you've never fallen in love?" I asked. He would say no, of course.

"I…don't know."

I frowned lightly, "What do you mean?" I asked, Pit shrugged.

"I don't know the feeling, so I can't really say that I've _never_ fallen in love- and I don't have my memory..." There was definitely a hidden tone there, and the way he looked up and scrutinized me. He was suspicious, had he worked it out?

Marth coughed lightly and we both turned in shock. I'd forgotten about him. Marth looked off sheepishly, "Um…" He muttered, pointing off inconspicuously, I followed the direction to see he was pointing back inside…where Mario was quickly rushing towards the glass doors. He didn't look pleased at all.

Pit flinched a little, "I don't want to go back inside." He whimpered sadly, he probably remembered Mario; after all, he'd never had to have a great in depth conversation with the man, so just a look should have set off the memory.

Pit's small, sad pout got to me. I hauled myself to my feet, stretching upwards, the other two watching me, I looked down at them. "Well, who's up for a little run then? According to Marth I'm kind of your guardian of something. So if you don't want to go back inside, you won't." I shrugged off, watching as Mario steadily got closer.

Pit slowly got to his feet, watching me with wide eyes, "But…I can't…" I ducked down and scooped the angel up in my arms once again as I took off- It was a few seconds before I could hear Marth's frantic pace behind me.

Pit clung around my neck desperately as I ducked and dodged around brawlers, I knew what I was doing.

"W-where are we going??" Marth panted as he tried to keep up, I smirked and Pit cracked open an eye.

"Wait…we're heading to the maze?" He asked; I glanced down before taking a sharp left, nearly making Marth trip as he attempted to follow.

"The maze??" I heard Marth question. The Maze was literally just a large hedge maze further out in the garden, it's only used for decoration- not many of us had actually tried to get to the middle. We got annoyed and left about halfway.

I ran headlong into the maze, taking sharp lefts and rights. Only when I slowed down so Marth could catch up did I notice.

"Ike. You left Marth behind." Pit helpfully informed while I slowed to a stop. I turned to face where I'd just come from, putting Pit back on his feet before bringing my hands up to cup around my mouth.

"Oi, Marth!" I yelled, waiting a few seconds.

"Ike you- _AUGH!_ Where are you!?" Marth's annoyed voice faintly floated over the hedges. I couldn't help but laugh, Marth yelling at me from wherever he was. I paused when I felt a gentle tugging at my sleeve.

Looking down I locked eyes with Pit. There was a seriousness to his features which was a surprising change from his usual child-like innocence.

"Ike," He started calmly, I turned around to face him fully. "Can we walk?" The request was subtle, but I knew by his tone he wanted to know something else. I put my hands behind my head as I began walking slowly, Pit matching my pace by my side.

It was just like that for a few minutes, silently walking, progressing through the maze until I felt we were lost- the endless green and single path confused me. It actually made me a little uncomfortable- hadn't we just been down this path?

"Ike…" I looked down at the angel; He held his head low, his hands clasped together as he bit his lip in confusion.

"Yeah?" I asked as I led us to the left, pausing a moment as I was given two choices.

Pit also stopped to look both ways before going right. "Ike…" He started again; I hummed in reply, "Did…did we….make a promise…?"

I slowed down as I looked at Pit; he looked up with a confused, almost pained expression. I looked up as I thought. Promise…

_For my prize, would you try…falling in love?_

I faltered mid step and nearly tripped, quickly attempting to keep my balance. I blushed faintly, "Um…y-yeah…I think so." I muttered, looking away as I scratched my neck awkwardly.

Pit looked on, waiting for an explanation; but only huffed and pouted angrily when no such explanation came.

A few more silent left turns and another right and we both slowed to a halt. Pit's pout disappeared as he stared in front of him. Heck, I probably had the same expression.

In front of us was the most beautiful fountain I'd ever seen. It was wide- almost the size of my room, and filled to the brim and overflowing with crystal clear water. Sprouting from the middle of the first bowl was another one, much smaller- about the size of a birdbath.

But what had us staring was what was in it. At the very top, in the very middle of the fountain was a branch of a mineral very much resembling diamond and porcelain, where thousands of small jewels of different shapes and colours grew, glistening brightly like leaves, causing the water beneath to shimmer with a rainbow glow.

Pit let out a small gasp and took a step forwards. Slowly we made our way closer. I was shocked when I saw the small jagged crystals around the bowl's edge, and many others growing out of everywhere.

Pit put his hands on the edge as he leant over, his eyes widening in awe. "Ike-you have to see this!!" Curiously I leaned over next to him.

It was deep.

Deep and clear. There were more jewels inside- including some gold coins and jewelry which must have been dropped inside. I watched a peculiar looking fish swim lazily about, gliding between the spiked and jagged wood of colour.

"I…I never knew this was here..." I breathed, reaching out to touch the overflowing water from the top bowl which glistened in the sun. I ran my hands through it, breaking the sheet of water coursing downwards. The water was strangely warm to the touch.

"It…It's beautiful." Pit agreed lightly with my actions as he leant over further to stare at a maroon starfish which had attached itself to the marble side.

"Don't fall in," I chuckled lightly, withdrawing my hand and crossing my arms, leaning on the edge.

Pit pouted at me before weightlessly hauling himself up to sit on the edge next to me, looking over his shoulder at the fish once again. "Ike, I want to know who you are." He said gently, dipping his hand into the water, fish gathering around his fingers.

I stayed silent, staring into the water. "I also want to know…" Pit breathed, I glanced at him. He had pulled his hand back to himself and was looking out towards the maze. "…How this happened to me."

He probably didn't know what was happening either then. I clenched my mouth shut while I sighed, "It hasn't told you yet?" I asked.

Pit shrugged, "I don't know, everything's blurry. I can remember…something…I can remember pain…but..." Pit looked off helplessly into the green surrounding us.

"To tell the truth, I don't know exactly what happened to you either." I admitted quietly, lowering my chin onto my arms as I continued to stare into the water. Pit stayed quiet for a few moments.

I heard a hiss of pain and snapped my head up to see Pit pulling his wing to his view; he bit his lip in pain as he examined the dark grey which broke into a pale white as bone was exposed. He let his wing go and it crumpled lifelessly against his side, dipping into the water.

"Pit?" I asked as he stared out in front of him, his face a flurry of emotions. He slowly turned to me, his eyes brimming with tears. I quickly got up and held his shoulders, "Pit? Pit! What's wrong?" I rushed.

Pit let out a sob, resting his head against my chest. "My wings…he…he…" He sobbed out silently. I wrapped my arms around him gently as he cried against me. "M-my wings-!!" He clenched my shirt in his hands as he cried harder.

"_Without his wings he can never return, he will never fly again. I took his wings to show him how it feels! To be trapped, to never fly! To never be free!!"_

The bitter words stung my mind and I felt even worse. This had all came about because of me. The cold, harsh words stung in my chest. Pit would never fly if we failed…

"Paulentina…I…" Pit gasped between sobs as he bit back his tears, but after a few moments he let out a chocked gasp as he started crying once again.

I held him tighter to me as he seemed to never calm down. "It'll be alright, it'll be alright..." I breathed as I rocked him gently back and forth. Pit thumped my chest and I winced in pain as he pulled away, glaring at me through his tears.

"How can you say that!? Without my wings I can never return to skyworld!! Without them I'm no angel! Without them I'll- I'll..." He chocked back a sob as he clenched the fabric of my top tighter, reducing his voice to a mere chocked whisper.

"Without them…I'll die…" Pit's grip lessened as he was suddenly quiet, staring in front of himself once again, "I'm going to…die…"

My chest clenched angrily at his words and I pulled him against myself once again, "No! You won't die! I won't let you die!" I scolded.

"You can't save me Ike. I'm doomed..." Pit replied quietly.

I could feel my control slipping. Why couldn't he see that he had a chance?! My arms tensed around him as I tried desperately to hold myself back. I wanted to hit him, to make him see that he won't die, not as long as I have any say in it!!

"You're not going to die!" I yelled, pushing him in front of me so I could glare at him.

The lifeless eyes slowly met mine, "How can you be so sure?" he asked, his voice low but normally paced, I clenched my teeth together in frustration,

"Because I won't let you!"

Pit's expression slowly turned to anger once again, "Ike, just who are you to say that I cannot die unless you say so??" He snapped, shoving my hands off his shoulders.

I flinched, "I didn't say that-" I started, but Pit had already cut me off.

"You did! You say that you will not let me die, though my death is inevitable! Just who are you to me??"

I pulled my arms to my side, clenching my fists as tears of rage threatened to gather. "I'm worried about you! I'm not trying to control you! I won't let you die because I care about you!!" I yelled at the small angel before me. It didn't seem to faze him.

"If you care about me so much, if you worry about me so much, if you're _so_ protective, why can't I remember you?!" He yelled at me. I froze, a cold chill emitting over me. I was silent for a few moments as I stared down my love.

"You can't remember because you don't know what to remember." I said as calmly as I could.

Pit let out a single sarcastic laugh. "Oh really? Then tell me what I'm meant to remember!" He growled.

I could feel my body loosen, my hands unclench. As fast as if had come, the anger was gone; why was I angry at him anyway? He didn't remember. He couldn't judge the situation without his memories. I snorted at myself. This probably wasn't going to help any of us.

"Is something about this funny to you?" Pit asked me, his eyebrows set into a crease which didn't fit. I looked him over once and felt even worse. All I wanted was my Pit back…But how am I supposed to show him who he is?

"You don't remember. The way you said that…you said it with no remorse…" I said quietly, "Maybe…you'll never remember…" With those words I abruptly turned around and left. I couldn't stand to see him now.

As I made my way steadily through the maze, things got blurrier and blurrier. I wiped at my eyes and discovered tears coursing down in a steady stream.

It was then I broke down, collapsing to my knees as my carefully contained emotions, all the stress- everything which had happened since I had came back overflowed and consumed me.

All I wanted was for my Pit to come back.

All I wanted was to love him once again.


	13. Chapter 12

I'm _horrible_.

I can see this story falling apart at the seams. But I must finish it! The lemon is going to kill me but whatever. It will be an extra. I can't put it in this way.

Anyhow. Here it is. At long last. Chapter twelve. (Did anyone notice how the last chapter was twelve instead of eleven??)

This is probably getting worse and worse. Otherwise its just me. But brawl has caught me again, so maybe the next chapter won't be as long a wait.

And to everyone who have been reading and leaving reviews- thank you!! You're the ones keeping this showboat alive! Yes, you know who you are!

Without further ado, I present to you, chapter twelve. In all its glory!

Discalaimer as always. I only own what I own. And I apologize for any plot holes this chapter may bring up.

----------------

_Couldn't_ remember because I didn't know _what_ to remember?

I let out huff of air as I sat back down on the ledge, turning back to the fish and letting my fingers dip into the water. _Who is he to say that I'm not allowed to die? Why does he care so much anyway?_

My chest clenched painfully and my eyes started to sting. I jumped in shock when I felt cold air hit the tear which had snuck down my cheek.

"Wh-what is…?" I wiped the tear away to find I couldn't stop them. I brought both hands up to wipe my eyes as my sight got blurrier and blurrier, and the pain in my chest never went away.

"Wh-why a-am I c-crying??" I sniffed in confusion, putting my hands into my lap and hunching my back, pulling my legs up to my chest as I hugged myself. I silently cried. I don't know why. I just felt so…so _miserable._

_Ike_. It has something to do with him…I...I just know it.

My mind slowly drifted back to before, back when I was yelling at him. I remembered the way Ike flinched, how his sudden sadness would turn into plead-like anger. And then he gave up and left…

Guilt isn't something I'm very used to. Well…I _think_ so anyway. But now I felt even worse and I can't stop crying, even if I wanted to; clenching my teeth and burying my head into my arms I tried to muffle my sobs.

"I-I-I sh-shouldn't have y-yelled at h-him l-like that!" I heard myself sob, "He-he's trying his best! A-all he w-wants i-is me to remember!"

The voice uttering those words seemed so different, I know I didn't think of it, but I could feel my lips moving, and then I could hear it- and then I knew that that was the truth.

I shouldn't have yelled at him. He isn't trying to control me. He's worried. He wants me to remember. He desperately wants me to remember.

I wiped my tears away and attempted to control the hiccups breaking through as I tried to think.

"_You can't remember because you don't know what to remember."_

What does that mean?? He…He's saying I can't remember him, because I don't know what to remember?

I slipped off the ledge and turned to the fountain, cupping my hands in the water and splashing it in my face. _Get it together! I have to figure this out!_

I pouted and shook my head, flicking droplets in every direction. I stared down at my reflection. The tired, puffy red, blue eyes stared back at me. "What can't I remember? There…There's something I'm missing."

_Think back…he must have dropped clues for me. _So I thought. Back tracking today- "A promise…what was it??" I muttered, trying to think, but the blurs only became even more distant.

_Something about a promise…something…_I frowned angrily as I thought harder. _Back at the tree…the tree…it was so peaceful back there…focus! What were we talking about?_

I snapped out of my daze as two brightly coloured fish drifted right under my vision. One was bigger than the other, bright orange, while the other was small and had very beautiful pink and blue specked fins.

"_Do you know what love is Pit?"_

I blinked in realization. Love? That's right…

"_So you've never fallen in love?"_

The shock didn't come at all. Nothing. But I suddenly felt empty. Love?...the very word seemed idle to me.

D…did he mean that I couldn't remember…because I didn't know? Was he saying…I can't remember him…because I can't remember…

There was a numb sensation in my hands and I spared a glance down at them. My knuckles were white from the force I was gripping the jagged edge. I pried them away and took a few hesitant steps away from the fountain.

"_Why can't he tell me Marth??"_

"_He can't, because it will hurt him."_

I must have caused Ike such grief. But still, I felt nothing. With the speed of a drunken cat, I turned on my heels and half ran- half stumbled through the maze from where Ike left.

_I need to find him…I need to ask him…this can't be right…if it was…why do I still not remember??_

The dead sensation in me slowly turned to panic as I turned this way and that, running as fast as my feet could carry me, trying, but failing, to find the man.

It was a few more frantic turns before I crashed. I flew backwards from the force, no doubt also sending the other person back too. My forehead stung angrily from the impact, and the sound…

Rubbing my head in pain I glanced over through tearing eyes.

"Oww…"

I could recognize the prince from a mile away. He sat there clutching his nose in pain, pushing himself up into a clumsy sitting position.

"Pit?" The tones in his voice varied from 'watch where you're going!' to 'what's wrong??' But I was up at him before he had time to choose his reaction.

"Where's Ike?!?! Did he come this way?!" I nearly yelled in his face as I shook him back and forth from the front of his tunic. My hands were shaking. Why? It wasn't panic…it…was it…_fear?_

Marth put his hands over mine as he got up, staring me in the eyes with confusion, baffled at my reaction. "Yes- well, no… I heard him before- but Pit, what's wrong?" He asked, still unsure which tone he should use to emphasize his words.

I was immediately running again. Marth's calls were soon faded and echoing through the layers of green which surrounded me.

I stopped in a panic. I'd lost all sense of direction. I turned this way, than another- I couldn't remember where I'd just come from, and suddenly these branches were starting to look oddly familiar.

_I can't have been going in circles, could I?? _I looked up at the sky. It must be just after midday- it was cooling down and the sky was bluer than before. If I could, I would have just flown over the maze instead of running around like a guinea pig.

_I wouldn't have been a__ble to anyway. Who am I kidding? I can't fly. _

What's this feeling? What was the word for it…cl…claustrophobia? Yes…that's it.

I sunk to my knees. I didn't realize how tired I was, and the green around me made me feel as if I was trapped, suffocating me. I felt the pain, the same as before, but I wasn't there while I screamed in agony. My mind wasn't there.

Then black.

--------Ike's P.O.V.--------

One bottle. Two bottle. Three bottle. Wait...isn't it '_bottles'_? Oh, who cares?

It must be _late_. It sure as hell is _dark_. Man this bed is comfortable. This wine is really good too. I wonder how Link _knows_ this stuff?

Urgh…starting to feel a little sick…_I_ know the cure for that. More alcohol.

"I'm a pitiful swordsman."

"No you're not Ike; you're one of the best I know." It _never_ occurred to me that the two other guys…Red..and..Link…could be such _good_ drinking _buddies_.

"I _am_ pitiful. Look at me. Here I am…_drinking _my problems away." I must be pretty drunk. Even I couldn't understand my words anymore.

"Everyone needs to drink the pain away sometimes." The trainer took another swig from his own bottle. He was still on his first and was pretty out of it too.

"You guys suck at cheering yourselves up." I glared at the elf-guy. He was a mean guy when he's drunk.

Is he even drunk? I don't think so actually...

"Then what do you suggest we do, fairy boy??" My voice was slurred and changed pitch. Heh. Funny sounding.

He scowled at me and stood up. Why is he upside down? Hmm…_everything_ is, now that I think about it.

"Ike, get up off of your ass. I know you're not drunk. You're depressed- I've seen you take down more than this at the last Christmas party!"

I waved my finger in the air as I tried to find my voice, "But, dear _Link. _Alcohol is a _depressant, _is it not?" I asked. He rolled his eyes and walked over to me.

The world was spun back upright and I felt nausea wave over me. Link stared me in the eyes. "What happened? I've never seen you this…well, drunk, for one thing…and..well, depressed?"

"I'm _not_ telling!" I slurred, pouting and crossing my arms, I could hear Red moan in complaint.

"IIIkeee, come onnn. Is it something to do with Pit?" I flinched and shied away. "Tell us what happened."

I could feel myself breaking down as I reached out for the hyrulian boy, wrapping my arms around him as I buried my face into his neck. "Oh Link! I don't know what to _do_ anymore!"

Link rubbed my back in a soothing, yet awkward way. "Tell us what happened." He repeated, but he didn't sound as sure of himself as Red did.

"Wh-what if Pit never remembers me? What if he _hates_ me?" I cried, Link sighed.

"Ike, Pit'll remember you. You guys had something special. And even if it's dug deep, its still there." Link soothed.

I kind of regret telling them _everything _now.

"You really think so?" I let go of the boy, who almost immediately scooted away from me.

He was right about me not being drunk though, I may feel a little woozy- but before must have really just been the depression. "But…You didn't see the way he yelled at me." I murmured.

Link huffed, "He's just confused at the moment. If you give up now- He'll never remember on his own." He reasoned.

I shrugged. Maybe he's right. But I'm going to need a hell of a lot more booze running through me before I admit to his face that I was wrong.

"_Here _you are!!"

I looked up at the storming prince and smiled weakly at him.

"Here I am."

"_Don't_ give me that!!" Marth snapped. Red whimpered and attempted to crawl away while Link slithered out of the room quickly. Marth glared at me with a kind of cold which sent a chill down my spine.

"Why are _you_ so angry?" I asked, frowning. Marth eyed the empty liquor bottles around Link's bed before giving me a stern glare.

"While you're in here drinking yourself happy, I've been trying to _find _you to help out!!" He probably would have thrown something at me then. But just to be sure- dive.

"I'm not drinking myself happy! And help out with what??" I wined as the pillow hit me smack in the face.

"Pit's gone missing!"

I froze. As much as I fought it, the sudden need to protect the angel captured me. "Wh..what?"

Marth grabbed me by the wrist and led me in a full fronted sprint down the halls, "He found me in the maze and said he was looking for you! More like yelled it really- but then he ran off again! It's taken me hours to get out of there, but when I checked around, I couldn't find him!"

My face blanked, "You don't suppose…that he's lost in the maze somewhere?"

Marth snorted and drastically rolled his eyes, "No, _idiot. _That's exactly what I'm supposing! Or _worse!_"

Worse. Meaning, that he could be dying as we speak?

My legs finally caught up with the Prince's, and I wasn't relying on him to pull me along.

We were gaining on the maze, I could see it now. The entrance beckoning a safe trip, but also a trip we may never get out from. Whoever invented the maze should be killed.

"Wait."

Marth stopped instantly, and as a result, my arm tugged back painfully by the wrist. "Why did we stop?!"

Marth gave my arm a warning tug, and I looked over to see a very familiar, calm yet concerned face.

"Lucario?" I asked. "What do you want?" I was in a hurry, and it probably came out different than I wanted to- but darn it, I had to get a move on or Pit..!

The blue Pokemon walked over, its red eyes piercing into mine. "I'll lead you."

Marth frowned in the same kind of agitated eagerness I felt, "What do you mean??"

The Pokemon shifted its head towards the maze. "I could hear him. I can lead you." It explained in the fewest words.

_Oh. Right. He could sense auras._ I thought, mentally slapping myself, "Then lead the way!" I nearly yelled.

Pokemon obviously knew I didn't want to wait around, as it instantly took off full pace- head long into the maze. Marth quickly followed while I tugged at his arm. He was so _slow!!_

The green passed by us. Every new turn we saw the tail and legs belonging to the one leading us, and knowing that if we lost sight of him, we might get lost; was what kept me running faster than I ever had.

"I-Ike-! I-can't!" I felt Marth's arm slip free from my hand and heard a small thud. I quickly turned back to see Marth on his knees, panting harshly, forcing air into his chest.

I was torn on the spot, forced between a rock and a hard place. If I left Marth, he would no doubt get lost in the darkness, but if I dwelled any longer, I would loose Lucario.

Marth looked up at me and panted out ragged breaths, "J-just go! I'll wait- here for you!" He panted out as menacingly as possible. His eyes told me he wanted to say more, but his body told me he couldn't.

With a quick nod I turned on my heels and took off.

I could faintly hear the padding of paws over the gust like winds picking up. It was freezing. And nearly pitch black. The faint outlines were hard enough to see and I found myself running straight into the hedges on more than one occasion.

"Ike!"

I took the sharp left and ran a few more feet before collapsing next to the Pokemon. Its eyes held too many questions for me to answer, so instead I turned my whole attention to the body crumpled and lifeless on the ground.

"Pit!" I called, lifting his head onto my knees as I turned him on his side. He was frozen, as anyone would be staying out in this weather in the getup he wears, but I had more important things to check than the temperature of his skin.

I could barely see anything, but with some quick fumbling, my fingers pressed against his throat. I moved them around until I found the vein- slow, faint heartbeats, accompanied by shallow breathing.

"Lucario?" I asked, not quite sure what I was asking as I looked up at the Pokemon. It glanced at me before crouching next to me.

"…" It raised its paws and a strange, purple flame emitted between them. I remembered this…he uses this as an attack in brawls if I remember correctly.

In the new light, I shifted Pit into my arms to check his wings. The feathers were dissolving at a rapid pace- more than half of his wing was a chilling white, only the bone remaining.

I picked Pit up carefully. I had to get him inside so we could hopefully revive him- I had to. Even if he hates me. I still love him.

"This way." Lucario breathed as he took off. I followed his lead, and on the way back, we picked up Marth- who shadowed me to the very end of the maze.

When we had finally had passed through the glass doors bidding entrance to the mansion, the sudden warm air bit against my face. It stung, but was soon washed away.

We carried Pit to the lounge. 'We' meaning Marth couldn't keep his hands off his 'child' any longer.

"Do we get Mario?" Marth panted as he took the blankets offered to him by the quiet Pokemon. I shook my head.

"No, it won't change anything. The pain won't go, and there isn't a cure. All Mario will do is tell us to leave while he checks what he _can _do." I said almost bitterly. Marth sighed and dropped one of the blankets over my head.

"Then what _are _we going to do Ike?" He asked. I tore the blanket off of my head and watched as Marth gently draped one around the angel, pulling him up as he sat on the couch, resting his head on his legs as a makeshift pillow.

"We have to wake Pit up." I muttered. Lucario glanced to me, a silent question raised. I glanced back, "His wings are still eroding. He could die if we don't stop it." I answered the pokemon's thoughts.

Marth ran his hand against Pit's cheek, his face distraught with worry. I hauled myself up onto my knees as I bent over the angel. His forehead was in a permanent crease of pain, every now and again his breathing hitching as his fingers twitched.

"Pit." I called softly, running my hand through his hair. The boy didn't stir.

"Pit, Pit, you've got to wake up." Marth attempted, his voice betraying his endeavor to hide the tears. Pit's eyelids fluttered as he softly groaned.

"Pit, you need to wake up!" I called gently, but urgently, cupping his cheek.

It was a few moments of silence before the boy stirred once again, his eyes sliding open a crack as he shifted. "Pit!" I breathed in relief.

Pit groaned breathlessly as he blinked his eyes open. "I-Ike." He stated in a quiet groan.

Marth helped him shift so he was sitting- Pit taking a few moments to close his eyes, his face paling from the motion, while my eyes stayed locked on his every move.

Pit opened his eyes and locked them with mine. There was a deep sadness amongst fear as he stared tiredly. "M-marth?" He asked, looking away.

"Yes Pit?" Marth asked, putting an arm around his shoulders in an effort to comfort the boy. Pit glanced to Lucario.

"C-could..could me and Ike…talk alone…for a while?" He breathed. Marth seemed to hesitate while Lucario merely nodded, leaving the room. Marth slowly got up, giving us both a worried glance, before leaving with a pained slowness.

When the room was finally empty save for us, Pit looked back, pulling the blanket tight against himself.

"You wanted to talk?" I asked quietly. I had to watch what I was doing. I had to keep my every move in check. In my state, and in his- I was unsure what I might do.

Pit nodded silently and glanced everywhere but at me. "I-Ike?" He asked, glancing at me for a few seconds before looking away. I waited in a polite silence, my eyes willing him forward.

"I can't remember….because I don't know what to remember. Is that right?" He asked in a wavering voice.

I nodded and moved to sit next to him on the couch; Pit froze and pulled into himself, shifting a little away from me. "Yes..that's right." I murmured, looking away sadly.

"Di…did y-you…mean…that…" Pit stopped and swallowed thickly, the motion I didn't notice as his face became distressed.

"Go on." I said blankly.

He glanced at me with large, scared eyes. "D…did…did I…" He was tripping over his words as he began to shake under my gaze. I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and looked down at him. His jittery nerves were only making me more worried about his state.

"D-did I…I…l-l-l-lo..l-love…" He looked away quickly as he blushed, pulling the blanket tighter around himself, but I already knew what he was asking. "D-d-d-o…you…l…l.."

"Yes." I cut him off. He whipped his head to me, his eyes wider than I'd ever seen them. The expression they held cut deep into my heart.

"Y..you…we…?" He couldn't find himself. I sighed and ran my free hand through my hair.

"I..I did love you. We…we were…" I stared at the painting across the room, counting every leaf on the trees it portrayed. Pit was silent next to me, stiff under my arm.

"Do..do you still…love…me?"

His words pierced through me. I looked down and gripped his shoulder. "…yes…"

There was a new silence between us. Pit knew now. I had no idea what he felt. I wouldn't look up to him. I couldn't.

"T..that's why…" The angel's soft tone caught me of guard. It was a tone of disbelief.

Slowly, I turned to look at the boy. His eyes were closed in concentration, once again his face portraying pain. "I…Ike…I'm sorry…"

_Why couldn't he remember?!_ The frantic panic took hold of me and I turned my head away, pulling back my arm as I stared across the room. I heard Pit shift in surprise.

"I'm sorry Ike! I really am!! I..I just…I can feel it! But…I.." The hopeless plea tugged at my already shattered heart. "W…_why?!_" The angel sobbed, hugging my arm to himself, desperately seeking the answer.

Involuntarily my eyes drifted down to him. The way his hands gripped at my sleeve as if it were the only shred of hope left, the way his tears coursed down in a never ending stream of guilt.

My heart clenched as I hooked my finger underneath his chin, turning him to look at me. His eyes bored into mine, searching for the reason; the answers to everything.

"Pit." I said quietly, fearing if I spoke any louder, I would break down in front of him.

"Ike?" He replied.

My face turned grim. "I _won't_ let you die. I care about you too much; I worry about you too much. And I love you too much, that if you were to die, I would die too."

Pit didn't fight against me as I pulled him close. He didn't push away when our lips met in a silent kiss.

The moment lasted longer than it should have. And it hurt us both equally, for the feeling was not there.


	14. Chapter 13

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_"__Pit__! Wait a second!"_

_"Pit, is everything alright?"_

_"Pit. Tell me what's going on."_

_"Pit, why are you scared?"_

"_I'm sorry."_

"_Pit…let me help you."_

"_For my prize, would you try…falling in love?"_

"_Pit! Pit? What happened??"_

"_Pit!"_

Pit's eyes slowly opened and he groaned groggily. His head, like his body, ached horribly. He felt as if he couldn't move, and it was i_much/i_ too warm for his liking.

The voices echoed in his head, a dream? It couldn't have been. The images were much too real.

A memory?

Pit groaned again and weakly attempted to sit up, but a hand held him down.

"Good morning, Pit."

The cerulean eyes blinked against the light as they looked up. A pair of midnight blue eyes met him.

"G-Good morning…Ike." Pit stammered, blushing as he remembered last night. He quickly looked away as a hand snapped to his mouth. i_He./i._

Pit attempted once again to sit up, but the hand continued to push him down. "I-Ike, can you let me up?" He asked quickly, the blanket atop of him heavy, and he was a bit more than bashful about lying on the swordsman's lap.

Ike didn't respond and Pit whimpered helplessly. He only blushed brighter when he heard movement in the room, pushing the blanket over his head.

"Good morning Pit, you gave us quite a scare last night." Marth's tone portrayed fear, tiredness and somewhat a cheerful act. Pit only whimpered again in response.

"We can't let you up right now, ok?" The voice was closer this time and a hand gently rested itself atop his shoulder.

"Why?" Pit groaned. It was too hot!

"You have a fever; you've been sleeping for quite a while now. We don't want you fainting when you stand up, do we?" Marth asked, giving the shoulder a squeeze.

"How did I get a fever?" Pit continued to inquire. Ike shifted underneath him.

"You…it was very cold last night when we found you. You must have caught a cold. In your condition…" Pit took the blanket off from over his eyes and pouted behind it.

"But it's too warm now." He stated childishly.

Marth smiled lightly at the boy and ran his hand gently through his hair; Pit cringed slightly as his head throbbed.

"I know it's too warm, you're burning up." Ike stated quietly, shifting his arm around the angel.

Marth smiled a little wider, "But you'll get cold if you get up. According to Mario anyway."

Pit pouted once again and huffed. "It's still too warm. I don't like it."

Ike and Marth shared a glance before Ike shifted, pulling Pit up against his side. Pit closed his eyes as his head felt light and he swayed. The sensation didn't pass quickly either.

"I'll go get you two something; I'll be right back, ok?" Marth sighed after a few moments, hauling himself up and leaving the two.

Pit frowned, "Is Marth finally letting us go or something?" He asked weakly. Come to think of it- he felt much weaker now than before. He could barely find the strength to keep his eyes open.

Ike chuckled lightly, but the sound was hollow, without feeling. Pit shifted again and Ike pulled the blanket around him, Pit pouted once more.

"Hey Ike, I had a dream." He started quietly. Ike didn't respond, he was looking off into the distance, his head propped up on a hand.

Pit waited for the response anyway, and soon a silence had settled between the two.

"Go on." Ike finally murmured; it was so quiet Pit barely caught it.

"I…I don't know if it's true. It's so jumbled up…" Pit started, resting his head on Ike's shoulder. "But I dreamt of you. I think…I think I dreamt of things I've forgotten."

Ike stiffened quite noticeably. "Like memories?" He asked, feigning boredom. Pit nodded silently.

The silence was back. Ike briefly wondered how long Marth was going to take, while Pit wondered whether he should have said anything at all.

"Ike?" Pit asked, Ike grunted silently in response, shifting awkwardly, "I'm sorry."

"You already apologized." Ike stated quietly. Pit rested his head on the man's shoulder, looking off.

"…" _I can't be sure…it's all too…confusing, is that really what happened…? _"Ike?"

"Yes Pit?"

"What happened…the night you came back…?"

Ike froze. Despite his efforts, the images that had burned themselves into his mind bubbled back up. The red staining the walls, the feathers scattered everywhere, the night he truly felt everything torn from him.

He clenched his fist in the plush fabric and quickly looked away, Pit jumped slightly in his seat, his hands darting out to grab the swordsman's arm.

"I'm sorry!" He apologized quickly, "I…I didn't know.." He looked down, his face pained, Ike glanced down sadly at the boy, "I…I won't mention it again."

With a sigh Ike forced his body to relax, resting his head back and staring at the ceiling. "No, it's alright." He breathed.

Pit glanced everywhere but at the man, embarrassed at the situation he had forced upon them both. Had it really been that bad? Pit whined lightly and hugged Ike's arm, "I'm sorry."

"I thought…I had lost you."

Pit fell silent, still at his side. He took a deep breath and ran his hand through his hair before continuing quietly. "You…it…It got to you. I….I couldn't protect you. When I came back…"

Ike cut himself short and shifted. Pit looked up to see him looking over the back of the couch. Following the man's gaze, he saw Marth standing there, a tray in his hands, his eyes reflecting Ike's.

Marth made his way into the room, setting his tray down on a side table before taking a seat next to Pit. "It's not just your fault Ike. We were there. We should have done something. We should have heard him." He said in a whisper, looking at his hands.

"What happened?" Pit asked again.

Marth shrugged and shook his head. "Me and Roy, we went looking for you. Your room door was locked. We broke in…" He started.

"Marth came to me as soon as I arrived back." Ike continued when Marth lapsed into silence. "He was crying…I ran to your room. It was…" Ike paused. "…never again. You…you were in the corner. I took you to the bed…it was like you had been attacked by a wild animal."

Pit froze. _Bed. Attacked? _"Was it…him? He took my wings, too?" He asked, his head throbbing. Ike slowly nodded.

It was silent. Pit desperately tried to recall that night while Ike and Marth tried to push it out of their minds.

A soft groan was all it took for both their attentions to latch onto the boy in an instant.

"Pit?" Ike asked in alarm, turning to Pit as he slumped in his seat, clutching his head in agony.

With a soft, choked cry Pit buried his face in his hands, curling up into himself.

"Pit!" Ike nearly yelled when the boy began thrashing in pain, he clutched at Pit's shoulders while Marth fussed uselessly.

_Darkness…loneliness..blood, laughter…pain…_

Pit groaned and whimpered as hot tears began to spill from his eyes, his body raking with the burning he had only come to notice, the wounds which had never healed, tearing fresh scars in his mind.

Ike quickly pulled Pit to his chest and wrapped him in a tight embrace. He himself was shaking violently, as if all the agony, the memories- as if all the pain the angel felt had taken over the air surrounding them, an aura of darkness, of despair.

Ike could hear Marth hyperventilating and could see him writhing in the corner of his eye, but he couldn't move, he couldn't utter a sound though he could hear his heartbeat in his ears, he could feel his chest rising and falling rapidly.

_What is this? This…_ Ike thought desperately, clenching his eyes shut as he clung to Pit…_Pit._

_He hurt me!! _Pit's mind screamed as the memories flashed behind his eyes, _Why??!? Why!!?!_

Pit screamed. A bloodcurdling scream.

Marth pried his eyes open, tears flowing down his face. _I-I'm scared What's happening!?! Why does it hurt??! _His mind raced as his arms shook, rooted to the corner of the couch, his face distraught with horror.

It was only then he noticed.

"I-Ike!" He cried in a choked gasp. Ike's eyes opened instantly, but all he could see was red.

"Ike! _Ike_! His- _his wings!!" _Marth screamed, lunging forward involuntarily and placing his hands against the writhing boy's back.

Pit screamed murder, bucking from Marth's touch, his eyes flying open. He writhed, trying to get away from the cold hands, from the white hot pricks of pain which tore through his spine.

"_IKE!!"_ Marth cried out, sickened, horrified, _afraid.  
_

Ike pulled himself from the cloud which had taken over, his movement slowly returning as he pulled Pit closer to look over his shoulder.

Ike would have screamed too if it weren't for the other two's screams making up for any sound he could make, if it weren't for his own memories racing through his mind.

He instantly froze, his arms clenching around the small, frail body painfully as Pit's screams slowly became more pained and breathy as his energy evaporated.

Too fast. Like a fuse on a stick of dynamite accidentally lit. The feathers were burning, covered in a dark black flame, scorching the bone.

What had been a third of his wing was already nearing the second to last row of feathers at the base of his back, the flame licking his skin and scorching his clothes a coal black.

"Pit..." Ike breathed, pulling the boy ever closer. "Pit…_Pit!" _He screamed, his words echoing his horror as the boy's screams became softer and softer, his body slumping.

"Ike..!" Pit sobbed; closing his eyes to his tears as his hands clenched handfuls of the man's tunic. "Ike, it hurts..! It hurts!" His voice wavered as it lost volume, his arms becoming heavy as he shook.

_No…I don't want to…I can't..no…Ike…I'm scared! Ike! Help me!_

Pit had soon become still and his breathing hitched as the fire enveloped his last feathers. "I-Ike..." He whimpered quietly, sobbing.

Ike felt the cool tears running down his face; he could hear his screams faintly in the back of his mind as he clung to the boy, _He said it himself! That devil said that he would die! But I can't be out of time! __**I won't let this happen**__!!_

"Ike..." Pit breathed, fighting to keep his eyes open even though they slowly slid closed against his will. "I remember it…I remember…it all…that..day…and before….Ike…"

Ike only tightened his grip as he softly cried into the angel's dull hair, "Pit…you can't die…not now..." Pit closed his eyes, his own tears flowing freely.

"Ike, Ike-I lov-"

The final shuddering breath and Pit was still.

"…Ike…he…he isn't…" Marth asked quietly, looking up with wide eyes, forever embedded with the fear of what had just occurred. "He...he can't be…?"

Ike stared at the motionless body in his arms, his skin slowly turning cold, the liveliness that was always there fading away.

He stared, before he let out the shrillest scream he'd ever heard himself create.

"Link! LINK!" Marth screamed at the top of his lungs, refusing to believe it. _"LINK!!" _He cried, breaking to sobs.

_"He can't hear you!"_ Ike yelled at the prince, angry tears beginning to form. "If _anyone_ could, don't you think they would have heard us screaming _earlier_!?!!"

Marth fell silent as he sobbed, "Pit…" He repeated to himself burying his face in his hands.

Ike wiped away the still fresh tears staining the pale boys face as everything that had happened slowly began to sink in.

_He really did remember this time…but I never got to…I never got to tell him…that I truly, eternally…loved…him…_

The thought clenched at his chest painfully, bringing his breath out in shallow gasps as his head began to feel light, his body cold.

_I'll...never be able…to see his smile again…_ He bit back the new wave of tears threatening to spill, though he was fighting a lost battle. He could hear Marth crying to himself, He could hear himself softly sobbing, but all else was still, cold, silent.

"_Tragic, the pain of loss, isn't it?"_

Marth jumped with an audible cry and Ike jumped back painfully into the end of the couch. Pit's body lightly shock with gentle laughter.

"_Oh, Ike! I'm scared! Help me! It hurts!" _The boy laughed, mimicking Pit's voice as it slowly sat up, his light brown hair fading to a darker shade of chocolate while his skin grew paler.

"_Ike, Ike, Ike. He never stopped. And finally, the silence which I wanted more than anything…" _It breathed, sitting up on its knees, its head rolling back, peering at Ike with blood red eyes through a dark fringe.

"You…You lied." Ike stuttered; his mind blanking as he stared upon the face of the evil which started all of this…And the face stared back with eyes of a murderer.

It laughed; a dull, echoing sound which had Marth freeze, his breathing becoming labored as the air in the room became older, thicker.

"_Oh Ike, you silly little boy. You think, after all my efforts, after all my attempts to kill the boy, I would let a chance like that slip by?"_

It laughed again, _"Why, when I discovered the wing thing Pit had, I just needed the perfect excuse, the perfect back story- and the opportunity came upon itself, this little 'Brawl' thing. Did you know Pit was always an odd duck back up there? Always had Angels flocking to him, left and right."_

Ike could feel his blood begin to boil; he could feel his nails biting angrily into the palms of his hands. "So everything before…" He breathed, his voice hitching. The being smiled at him sickly sweet.

"_Now you're catching on. All lies! Pit may be the worst actor in the world, but seeing as you fell for every little trick I put up, every little stumble I put in place- I must be quite the mastermind." _He paused before smirking,

_"Or maybe it was the crying act? Tell me, which did you like best?"_

"BASTARD!" Ike yelled, Grabbing the boy by the neck and standing, raising him off the ground. "YOU KILLED PIT!! BRING HIM BACK!!" He demanded, screaming in the boys face.

"I-Ike…stop..!" Pit gasped, tears in his eyes, Ike instantly faltered, his grip going slack, Marth gasping out a silent plea- but when he saw the lingering smirk he tightened his grip further.

The choked laugher rang out loudly in the silent room, _"You're so easy! Too easy!" _It laughed, wriggling in the swordsman's grip.

"How much of it were lies?" Ike asked in straight monotone, the thing looked down at him with an angry smile.

_"You can't trust anything I say, like, maybe I said 'all of it'? or…'there's still a way to save him?'_" Upon Ike's shocked face, he cackled once more. Ike threw the body to the floor with hate, a startled hiss of pain ensuring, but it didn't make him feel any better.

"I asked you: How. Much. Of. It. Were. Lies." He repeated, deathly quiet. It only grinned.

_"You decide, hopefully this time you'll pick a better answer." _It snickered before thrusting its wings out behind it with a piercing laugh.

Black feathers sprouted instantly and it had taken flight, hovering above their heads. "_See you, Ike! Don't think too hard!" _It taunted as it smashed through the far window.

Ike immediately ran to it, seeing the retreating black speck in the midday sky. "I _will _get him back. Mark my words." He growled, digging his nails into the window pane.

---------------------------

"WHAT!?!?"

Marth cringed underneath his covers as the Elf tossed a table over, books and numerous breakable objects crashing to the floor. "WHY THE HELL DIDN'T YOU TELL US SOONER!?!"

"How could we?!?!" Marth screamed from under the pillow, "He _died _Link!! That just doesn't come up in normal conversation!" He threw the pillow aside and sat up, "'Oh, hello link, Red, how's the weather today?- oh, and just thought you might like to know Pit died this morning, tallyho.'" He sarcastically remarked.

Link kicked the side of Ike's bed, where the swordsman lay sprawled, eyes blank as he stared at the ceiling, staring, nothing else.

"Don't forget to breathe," Link muttered as he tried to calm himself down, sitting at the edge of the bed. Ike slowly looked at him.

"I will get him back." He breathed quietly. Link nodded his head in his hands. "I...don't know how…but…Pit's still alive." He said, more to convince himself than anyone else.

Marth pushed back his fringe, his eyes dark. "We shouldn't be sitting here." He said slowly. "We have to get out there."

"He's right." Red muttered from the corner, holding his Squirtle close. "The more time we spend here, the less chance we have…finding this..'imposter'" Out of the three, he was the most confused about what had happened.

Ike sat up and reached to the side of his bed, pulling up Ragnell and staring at its blade before letting it drop with a loud clank.

"But how?!" He argued. "We're up against another angel who's taken over Pit's body! We can't hurt him, I just know it.."

Everyone looked away. They knew that he _could_ hurt him. And that was what Ike was most afraid of. The look of pain across the boys face, though he was not his.

"We just go in and storm him." Marth concluded, standing on shaky legs, before sitting down quickly and shuddering. "We might be able to make them swap…or something." He breathed sickly.

"We'll make a deal then." Ike muttered as he stood, picking up his sword once again and looking the prince in the eye.

"I have an idea where to find the bastard."

-------------------------


	15. Chapter 14

Marth had thought that the tree Ike and Pit had dubbed 'Pike' would be the most logical place for the other to appear.

Marth was wrong.

"Ike, this isn't time for games." Link hissed, seething as he stared into the dark green foliage before them, hesitant to follow the swordsman in.

"I know. I'm not playing games." Ike replied solemnly, pushing past the crowd and stepping foot long into the maze. With a start Marth quickly followed.

"No, Marth." Ike muttered, stopping at the first bend, looking back at the prince and his companions. "….I…I have to do this alone."

"I've already told you a thousand times before that that's not going to happen!" Marth snapped back quickly. Ike's eyes remained dull.

Turning slowly to the prince he placed both hands on the man's shoulders, bringing himself down to lock eyes with the blue orbs. "I have to do this alone." He replied, his eyes pleading, giving reasons which Marth wouldn't hear.

"Link can leave, Red can go too- But I'm staying. No matter what happens, I'm here to share your burden." His words were final.

Ike took a deep breath through a clenched jaw before looking up to Link and Red, both determined to pursue their duty.

"I…I'm sorry."

Before any of the three could understand what Ike was apologizing for, Ike had shoved the prince back into his two friends, bolting into the maze without a last glance.

"Ike! IKE!!!" Marth cried after him, but it was no use. The further into the maze he progressed after the mercenary, the further he came to conclude that his fate was not tied with his 'children'.__

--------

"The apple never falls far from the tree, does it?"

Ike found himself spinning around to face nothing but the path behind him when the cold words pierced his ears.

_"Ah, but I guess this case is different."_

Ike hesitantly continued into the maze before abruptly stopping.

_"You see, this time, you are the apple…"_

The cold blue eyes shot up and locked with Ike's own. A smirk tugged the corner of the fallen angel's lips.

_"And Pit is the tree, but you see- This tree is dying."_

Ike slowly advanced, taking glances at his surroundings while the smaller swung his legs back and forth from the edge of the crystal fountain, his eyes never leaving the swordsman.

_"The tree held the apple before the storm. But the storm hurt the tree badly."_ He continued, Ike snapping his attention back as his anger flared anew.

_"The tree clung desperately to the apple; it tried with all its strength, but the wind took the apple away. The wind cut the tree, the tree bled. All the apple could do was watch, for it had fallen close, but too far to help."_

"Shut up. I didn't come here to listen to your babbling." Ike said through grit teeth, clutching Ragnell's hilt tightly as the other smiled.

_"But I'm not finished yet. You should be quiet and listen to my story."_ He replied coolly.

"I told you to shut up!" Ike commanded, bringing his sword up in front of him.

The dark angel before him paused before looking up. _"…So you thought about lies and truth before you came to see me, didn't you?" _He asked.

Ike hesitated but didn't reply.

_"You haven't attacked; you won't answer my questions, so I should be entitled to finish my story, now shut up and listen."_

A shudder ran down Ike's spine as the last demand dulled to a poisonous whisper, the other giving him such a cold glare, it seemed like evil itself had stared him in the face.

The dark glower soon faded back into a sly smile as it continued swinging its legs.

_"Now…The tree was hurt so badly by the storm that it started to die, all the newborn apples and brothers of the fallen apple began to wither and fall while the tree grew dimmer. But the apple could only watch, and cry out, forever unchanging."_

It looked down and smiled at Ike. _"The tree died and all the other apples suffered, but that one neglected apple- you, Ike- suffered the most. The apple which was cherished by the tree and was given new life, watched as that same life ebbed away from the one it loved most. Left alone in the world- forever alone."_

"SHUT UP!" Ike yelled, charging.

The other smoothly leaned back as Ragnell flew atop its body, slightly trimming a few strands of hair which weren't as fast to fall.

_"What? You didn't like it? I thought it was a very nice story, I thought about it for a while too. It was fitting."_ It said cheerfully.

Ike moved to strike again when the cold voice rang out once more.

_"But Ike? Can you really hurt this face?"_

Ike froze as his eyes unwillingly met the light blue orbs, innocent and welling with tears.

His breath hitched and he could barely listen to the voice in the back of his head screaming 'It's a trap!' before the fallen angel smirked.

He found himself cursing under his breath as his body shut down, refusing to move whilst the other pulled itself up and slowly laced its arms around his neck, smiling sweetly with sharp eyes.

_"You see? This body is my sword, and your heart is fragile Ike. It may have been broken, but seeing this face in pain is something you just cannot bear."_

"You are not Pit." Ike reassured himself as he pulled the sword up between them, resting the cool blade on the other's neck. "I won't be fooled."

The eyes locked on his smirked_. "Oh? But you already have been Ike; and that will be your downfall."_

A hand moved to cup Ike's cheek and the blue orbs before him softened, a smile playing innocently across the other's face.

_"You're powerless when I do this,"_ It said cheerfully, in a voice which tugged at Ike's resolve. Its eyes closed in a childish smile. _"Hey Ike? You shouldn't let your guard down."_

Ike snapped out of his inner turmoil just as something cool and sharp played fire in his stomach, stabbing deep. He could feel the trickle of blood from his mouth and the warm wet liquid seep into his clothes before he felt the pain.

He coughed up a mouthful of blood and cried out as the smaller boy pulled the dagger up, and up, twisting from left to right as he did so.

_"Does it hurt?" _It asked, the same innocent smile playing on its lips as its eyes blazed with hunger. _"Tell me Ike, how does it feel? How does it feel to know your only effort at revenge killed you?"_

Ike suddenly felt cold.

Revenge? It wasn't revenge…was it? Ike stared back down at the angel, who smiled back.

_"Revenge feels good, doesn't it? But like you'd know, you never killed me- Like I killed Pit."_

Ike clenched his teeth against the sting as the boy below him played with the dagger lazily. "W-why did you do it?" He gasped, weakly trying to pull his sword back up- but it was so heavy. With a loud clatter it fell to the floor, instantly motionless.

_"Hmm? Kill him you mean?"_ It asked innocently, batting it's eyelids. _"For his body. I thought it was obvious."_

"What do you mean?" Ike forced out, clenching his hands and cringing as the boy bent down to toy with the wound. He cried out when the fallen angel pried fingers into him.

_"Now I can enter skyworld. I can finally avenge the goddess."_ It replied sternly, stabbing the dagger into Ike to the hilt before retracting it fully.

Ike fell to his knees gasping for air, clutching at his stomach in an attempt to staunch the blood flow.

_"Don't worry Ike. It will all be over soon."_ He heard a cold voice laugh, sinister in the growing dim.

_"And then, you can be with your 'angel'"_

Ike didn't have a chance to cry out, nor a chance to strike back.

For when the piercing pain reached him, he was already under. Falling deeper and deeper, until even he knew he was gone.


	16. Chapter 15

It was dark, and cold. Those were his first thoughts.

Thinking further, he came to realise he couldn't move, he couldn't feel, breathe, he couldn't cry out.

He could see nothing, but his thoughts echoed in his mind, so loud he would have thought he had said them, if it weren't for the fact his mouth seemed to be filled with water, or something of the like.

There were dull waves slowly rocking his body, as if someone were shaking him, but there was no one there. Was he hallucinating?

He couldn't remember anything and his heart felt heavy at the thought. He could feel himself sinking deeper, and deeper, but finally, a small light, dimmed as if it was being covered by something, met his eyes.

"_You can't die. You can't die Ike."_

The voice was so light, as light as a feather, but he knew that feather was a measurement of weight and not sound; though oddly enough, even with his reasoning, it didn't sound at all out of place to him.

"_Ike, can you hear me?"_

He knew he was hallucinating when the darkness was suddenly washed away, white feathers as bright as the sun falling endlessly from a clear blue sky. He could feel cool grass under his feet; he could feel warmth on his skin.

A tree was in the distance, faintly shrouded by a gold mist, reflecting the sun and making everything glow with light. A figure was leaning on the tree, half towards him, half away from him.

He found himself moving towards the figure, feathers catching in his clothes, brushing against his face. He couldn't see the figure clearly, it was too bright, but his heart sped up seeing the two glorious white wings, seemingly endless as they stretched across the horizon.

"_Ike. Promise me that you won'__t die."_ That gentle voice echoed to him, the form turning away, blocking the light as his vision began to once again fade into darkness.

How he wanted to cry out; to reach out and touch his angel. But his voice was gurgled and chocked, and his limbs began to grow heavier with every step.

He felt alone as the light faded, the feathers disappearing in the darkness, it was as if someone had ripped out his broken heart and managed to shatter it even more. Silence engulfed him as he crumpled to the ground.

The gentle hand against his cheek was soothing; the soft brush of lips against his forehead eased his pain. He opened his eyes to cerulean blue, smiling down at him lovingly.

"_Ike, I love you, I'll never abandon you. Promise me that you'll live__ on, so that we can meet again."_

The words swirled in his ears as he looked up, confused. Why was his angel saying this? It was if he were saying goodbye, but in such a far away manner.

His angel's face fell and tears welled up as he tried his best to keep smiling. It didn't suit him, that look. He should smile with all his heart and he should cry when he wanted to cry.

"_Ike, I'm scared we might not be able to be together anymore. Please don't forget me, please Ike."_ He sobbed hopelessly.

A heavy hand reached up and brushed the tears away.

"..I…will never…forget you." A small voice whispered. He was shocked to find that he himself was crying too. His chest ached as those blue eyes looked down on him.

"_Ike. I love you. I love you more than anything in the world. I remember everything; I'll never forget it again. I'll never forget you and nothing at all can ever replace what I felt when I was with you on Earth-what I still feel. I'll never leave you; I'll always be there, watching over you."_

He didn't need to run away from it anymore. He couldn't make himself hide from anything anymore. It was what his- no, what Pit wished.

One last gentle kiss and Pit was gone.

The despair which met him in the silence of the dark never reached him. Instead he felt hope, hope which washed over his body and pulled him back to the surface.

It was as if he had merely been too far under water, for as he got closer to the light, the rocking sensation got stronger and stronger, and the blissful nothing quickly turned to unbelievable pain.

But as hard as he tried, he couldn't hate any of it. Not the blinding light as he opened his eyes, not the deafening sound which bombarded his ears, not the first jagged breath-

Because behind him, he could feel the loving embrace which brought him back to life.


	17. Chapter 16

"Oh god, _Ike!_"

Ike coughed and spluttered, gasping for breath as he attempted to sit up. His head pounded and his stomach flared, but he felt hands on him, pushing him to his side, allowing him to cough up the remaining blood which threatened to choke him back into the brink of death.

His eyes stung against the orange blaze of the sunset. It was unnaturally bright, but then he realized that it wasn't only the sun which was blazing orange.

"Ike, can you walk??"

His eyes slowly slid over to the prince. He couldn't ask for a more welcoming sight. But Ike suddenly felt like he was running in slow motion, as it took him a few more seconds to notice the long trail of blood flowing down from a large gash on the other's forehead.

"M-ma..rth..?" He asked through rough breathing, "Wh..?"

"It's nothing, don't worry about it!" Marth snapped quickly. "Link, we'll have to carry him, he's delirious!"

Ike felt a pang of annoyance at the Prince's tone. He wasn't delirious at all, he was just a little confused and well, you know, still _recovering from a near death experience._

Two different arms hauled him up and quickly began to progress through the burning maze. Ike only wished he could feel his legs so he could help them out. He wasn't too reassured that Marth could last much longer after suffering such a blow to the head.

But Link looked equally as bad, maybe even worse. His face was singed black from the fire all around them and was covered with cuts, but Ike also noted the deep wound in his left ear which was even now dripping blood down a crystal blue earring onto his shoulder.

"Wh…why did you…follow me?" Ike forced out in a gasp, closing his eyes to the burning.

"Well, when the whole maze went up in flames, we were more than a little concerned." Marth replied sarcastically.

The words swirled in Ike's mind as Link and Marth combined efforts to cut down the charcoal scenery in an attempt at escape.

"What happened Ike?" Marth asked suddenly, "You were barely alive back there!"

Ike fell silent for a long moment. "It caught me off guard." He finally replied in a taught voice.

"What did?" Link asked, "I swear you stopped breathing before you came back, you were nearly a goner back there!"

Neither Ike or Marth bothered to explain, they could count on the elf to figure it out himself.

"Ike, it wasn't there when we found you." Marth said in a dark voice. Ike looked over wearily, "I think it planned to let you burn to death."

Ike scoffed the slightest of scoffs, "No, I think it wanted you to find me. This is all a game to it, and I'm the star player."

Something floated back to the swordsman, a game? No, it was revenge, wasn't it? Yes…it said something about avenging its goddess?

"If it wanted us to find you to be able to save you, it wouldn't have bothered laying the trap." Marth replied angrily.

The trio broke free from the maze and shuffled towards an anxious crowd. Ike was lain on the grass, cool in the growing dark, and Mario bustled over, red instantly stopping his attempt at putting out the fire.

"Is he all right??" Red asked as Mario gave the mercenary a check over.

Ike tried in vain to push the others away, grabbing a handful of Marth's tunic. "What trap?" He asked in a strained voice.

Marth loosened Ike's grip on his clothes before wiping a hand across his forehead, smearing the blood from his eyes. "When we got to you, something exploded- I don't know what it was, we didn't have enough time to look before the fire started." He explained. "Link protected us with a spell he learned from his world; I think it was Nayru's love or something similar. But without him you'd have died for sure."

Link sat down next to where Ike lay, clutching at his ear with obvious discomfort. "Don't thank me Ike. If the distance was any longer between us I wouldn't have been able to protect you as well. " He grumbled.

Ike let his head fall back as he tried to hold back the darkness clouding his vision once again. "I can't stay here." He fought out. "I have to stop it."

Marth shook his head. "You can't fight it. Not now. You're too badly wounded, and your sword is back in the maze, Link burned his hands trying to pick it up."

Ike briefly wondered why the hylian would try to pick up metal in a fire before a painful throb cut him off. He weakly clutched at his head as the voices swirled around him.

Marth was shaking his shoulder again, but it did little to make the mercenary feel better. He felt the ground disappear from under himself as he was once again hauled up, this time carried into the cool dark shadows of the brawl mansion.

"N-no...I have to…stop him..." Ike weakly fought back, wriggling in their grasp. Marth shushed him as he tried to keep hold of Ike's legs, eventually giving in and passing him on to one of the stronger Brawlers, like Ganondorf, he didn't bother to check.

"Ike, I'll try to think of something, but please, just try to get some rest. It…It may take an hour or so for me to do something about all this." Marth hissed, slightly wobbling on his feet.

"For now, just-just trust…me…"

Ike watched through blurred vision as Marth collapsed and disappeared from sight. He wriggled more with the available strength left before he was unwillingly taken into the medical room.

--------

The time passed by quickly, but for Ike, time couldn't pass slower. Every second melted into agonizing minutes as he waited for the prince to break him out. Mario had gone to extremes to make sure Ike couldn't leave, which included strapping him down.

The sky was dark outside when the door creaked open. Ike sighed a sigh of extreme relief, trying to turn his head to the shadow.

"What took you so long?" He hissed.

Hands fumbled with the belts restraining the mercenary before a soft, nervous voice broke out. "I-I'm sorry." Ike paused. That wasn't the voice of the Altean. With squinted eyes Ike felt his stomach drop as he recognized the figure.

"_Red?_"

Ike suppressed voicing his obvious distress while Red freed him. Once the restraints were undone, Ike sat up and rubbed at his wrists, cringing slightly as his stomach dully ached. "Where is Marth, or Link?" He asked.

Red looked away before ushering Ike to follow him. "They're waiting for you outside, they insisted I get you because I'm…less suspicious."

The mercenary briefly thought if Red had ever used that against anyone before, but as he made his way outside his mind cleared.

"We got your sword and armor Ike." Link said as he chucked the man the blue tunic. Ike took a few moments to get ready before Marth began leading them towards the woods which surrounded the mansion, giving brief instructions to Red to go back and cover for them.

"We heard some loud rumbling out here a few minutes before we sent Red to get you. They weren't very strong, but you can see a light over the trees." He quickly explained, his breath coming out in heavy gasps.

Ike was about to point out that Marth really should go back too, but his eyes trailed over the Princes hand. It was clutching the sword falchion so tight that his knuckles were pale and probably aching from it, so he decided to keep his mouth shut.

A few more minutes of blind stumbling through the trees silhouetted in the night brought more rumbling as they got closer and closer; the area in front of them lightening up as if it was day.

"What i_is/i_ that?" Link grumbled, protecting his eyes as they adjusted. Ike shrugged.

"I'm not sure, but it can't be good." He was too busy trying to figure out what he was supposed to do now that he was here to pay attention to his surroundings.

"_You should have stayed dead, Ike!"_

The chilling voice broke Ike out of his reverie as his eyes snapped up. Amongst the blinding white was a small black figure, hovering in the air. He heard Marth clench Falchion tighter.

"_But I guess it's also a good thing you lived,"_ it chuckled lightly to itself, "_Because now you can watch helplessly as I destroy heaven."_

"Why?" Marth barked, shaking slightly as he desperately tried to keep his composure.

It tilted its head, "_So eager! Don't worry; your pitiful little world will come next." _It reassured.

"We won't let you do this." Ike called, "You've gone far enough." He ground his teeth, pushing back the urge to charge at the boy.

"_Oh yes you will!" _It laughed, "_You can't do a thing to stop me, it's already begun!!"_

Ike's eyes snapped past the boy as a gate appeared, cloudy at first, but it quickly became clear, white clouds surrounding golden arches.

"_Farewell, Hero of Hyrule, Prince of Altea, Leader of Crimea- Saviors of nothing."_ It jeered, before swiftly kicking back on air, flying through the golden gates.

Ike bolted after it. _He won't get away with any of this, he won't cause any more harm._ was his only thought as he leaped off of the cliff and through the gates, his two friends closely behind him.

He landed and sunk into a sea of clouds, his feet barely finding anything to stand on which would support his weight. After wading through the light fluff, his knee hit against something hard.

"Wh-what..?" Marth gasped, pulling himself onto the ledge, invisible by the clouds, "I-is this...heaven?"

Ike held little attention to the sky high white buildings, much unlike any he'd seen, but also somewhat alike to ones he'd seen in his own world. Right now his thoughts were honed in on the distant screams.

A strange, deep throated sound akin to a yell erupted from his side and momentarily disrupted his focus. He turned to face Link, who looked back with surprise.

"Link?" Marth asked. Ike glanced at the Altean noble. He too sounded slightly off, but he could still understand the man.

"What's going on?" Marth asked, turning to Ike, unsure if the other could understand him. Ike shrugged, pulling himself up onto the stone path.

"I'm not sure. I think that this place- whatever it is- is out of the translator range." He suggested, reaching out a hand to help the prince up, who was currently giving him an odd stare, which told Ike loud and clear that the man only understood part of what he'd said.

Link sighed, pulling himself up and pointing towards the yells, motioning with his hands to hurry it up.

"He can't understand us, can he?" Marth asked as they started running. Ike was prepared to reply when a huge crash cut him off, a rumble running through the ground which threw the three off balance.

The screams were louder than ever, and as thousands of shadows came across the clouds lining the floor, Ike looked up to see hundreds of angels flying frantically to escape from the danger.

Link was the first to recover and instantly leaped into a sprint, yelling back at them with an accent no doubt from his home world of Hyrule. Ike had to pull Marth along as he continued to stare up at the winged people.

The chilling laughter caught Ike off guard. It was far off, and in its natural speech it seemed even more ghastly- but he instantly recognized it, having heard it only a few minutes before.

"There!" Marth yelled, pointing up. Ike had enough time to watch the black dot fly through the sky before another of the pillared buildings came crashing down, a few angels falling with it as blue arrows stabbed through the air.

"How are we supposed to..?" Marth mused aloud, Link glancing at him before pulling his bow from its quiver and arming it with his own arrows.

As he drew back the string it began to flash with a gold light, watching the black speck loop through the air with one eye before he released.

It narrowly missed, and Ike watched at the figure stopped moving and turned towards them, both Link and it preparing to fire once more.

"We need to get up higher." Ike informed as Link let his second arrow fly loose. He tugged on the man's tunic before sprinting to the rubble of the broken building, beginning to climb and run up the pillars.

Link had quickly followed, running backwards as he dodged the streaks of blue and sent back an arrow of light. Marth had stopped in his tracks, looking up as he tried to catch a falling angel, said being taking him to the ground and leaving Marth with no idea what to do.

Ike kicked a pillar into position before running up it, picking up rocks of different sizes to throw at the black angel as it drew closer to aim for the green clad man better.

He heard it yell something. Even if Ike couldn't understand, he knew it was a taunt.

But from the corner of his eye, he saw Link bristle- yelling back before sending arrows which burst into flame at the other. The boy simply flew around each one, enraging the elf further.

Ike watched the arrow trade for a few sunned seconds before he unraveled the angel's plan.

"No! Link, stop!" He yelled, but it was to no use, as Link realized the same time as he did- but it was too late.

The hylian's hand felt back into his quiver before he ducked to avoid a barrage of blue. He began to no doubt curse in his own language as he put away his bow, fuming that he'd fallen for the small trick and wasted all his arrows on the one target.

"_Not very bright, your friends!"_

Ike jumped down as he collected more makeshift ammo. He glared up at the being before tossing a rock back. "At least they fight like real men!" He yelled back.

The broken laugh filled the air as the angel came closer. "_Whatever do you mean? I am fighting like a man- a smart one anyway! Taking the advantage is the way to win!"_

Ike couldn't wrap his head around how the angel could speak his own language so fluently, and then switch back to the forest tongue which caused Link to nearly throw his sword at it.

"A real man fights with his fists!" Ike yelled back, hoping to the goddess that the boy would fall for his taunt.

It worked, but not quite how Ike expected as a painful punch connected with his jaw and sent him to the ground.

"_If fair is what you want, then fine, you can play fair." _It jeered as it landed another punch, straight into Ike's stomach, ripping his wound open again.

Ike did as much as he could blocking his face and vital organs, but the angel's endless assault didn't stop, and for a few seconds Ike even thought that every hit was becoming stronger.

A kick to his face gave a sickening crack and Ike cried out as he could taste blood from his split lip, only taking a second to feel if his jaw wasn't broken.

He watched as the being prepared to strike again, this time it's blades in hand, but the strike didn't come.

Ike sat up in shock as the angel was tackled off of him, a loud crack ringing out followed by a pained yell.

Marth pushed himself off of the angel, eyes dilated as it stared at the black wing, lying lifeless on the ground, torn off by his blade Falchion.

The angel looked up, murder in its eyes as it stared down the prince, _"Not a very smart move prince." _It growled, deathly low as it stalked forward, black feathers flying off his last remaining wing and revealing the pale bone beneath which sent a cold chill down Ike's spine.

The angel grabbed hold of Marth's collar and lifted him up with a strength which seemed to come from nowhere. Marth quickly reattributed by crying something out that Ike didn't understand.

They were everywhere, appearing from every crevice and around every bed, thousands of angels, all armed with weapons akin to Pit's daggers. Even Link had appeared then, arm at the ready to fire from the golden bow he'd been given.

The dark angel cursed and let Marth go; looking around at the weapons pointed at him, a smirk crossing his features as he finally came to rest his eyes on Ike.

"_It really is too bad that you couldn't finish me off with your own sword Ike. But I know we'll meet again,_ _and I __**will**__ finish what I started, Medusa will have her revenge." _It chuckled.

Even Marth, who was right in front of the boy, couldn't stop his next move. Quick as a flash the dark angel had spun his dagger around and plunged it deep into his chest, still chuckling brokenly before it collapsed to the ground in a silent heap.

Ike stared, astounded. The relief he thought he would feel when he saw the dark red leave the angel's eyes, did not appear like he'd wished. He only felt despair as the colors grew less intense on the angel, becoming once again, the body of the one he'd loved.

Even so, he couldn't cry. He already knew Pit was gone; but it still hurt.

"_Ike; son of Greil, Brother of Mist, Savior or Crimea, stand."_

Ike pushed himself to his feet, looking around for the strange new voice. He had at first thought he was hallucinating, as the voice sounded too much like…

A woman, flanked by cherubs on her left and right, broke through the ring of angels. Her lack of wings and majestic features gave inclination to who she was.

"_I am the goddess Palutena. We all thank you for saving our home." _She spoke softly.

Ike looked away. "I didn't save anything. It was his choice to end the battle, not mine." He responded blankly. Palutena smiled and shook her head.

"_My angels could not have fought him alone, you gave them courage. You and your friends, Marth, Link; you gave a great example of strength which they all learned. You may not have saved us by yourself, but you gave them the will to fight alongside you."_

Ike looked back at the goddess, her eyes softened.

"_Ike. I have been given a wish, a wish that I can now fulfill." _She closed her eyes, _"Icarus wished to see you one last time, to give you something he knew would make you happy."_

"Icarus?" Ike asked.

"She means Pit, Ike!" Marth yelled, rushing to his comrade. Ike felt a jolt of joy run through him.

Palutena giggled, a sound like bells. "_He wished so hard, I could not ignore him. Ike, take my hand, I will send you to him. Once his wish is fulfilled, you will be brought back." _She paused, "_But I am sad to say, once your business is done, I will have to ask you to leave. Skyworld is not for you three just yet."_

Ike had to restrain himself from rushing to the higher woman, taking her hand gratefully as white feathers enveloped him.

----------

The golden landscape, the falling feathers. Ike remembered it all so clearly from the first time he was here.

The figure at the tree was no longer a silhouette against the sun. Ike broke into a smile as it turned, the bright blue eyes finding him.

"Ike!" Pit cried, overjoyed as he ran at the taller man, hugging him tightly. "I-I knew you could do it!" He began to sob cheerfully.

Ike smiled as he hugged the boy closer to him, wrapping his arms around the delicate frame, burying his head in the boy's chocolate locks.

"I love you Pit. I love you, I love you, I love you!" he breathed, his heart lifting as he was finally able to return those words.

Pit giggled, "I know silly. I love you too, more than anything."

"More than the world." Ike agreed.

Pit lifted his head and kissed Ike gently before pulling back, his eyes showing sorrow. "Ike, I don't have long to be with you. I promised Palutena that I would only give you what I wished for."

Ike's smile fell. "What was you wish?"

Pit kicked his foot lightly. "It was kinda two wishes really. But the first one was granted already, that time you nearly died…and now." He said, blushing. "I wished to be with you when you really needed me. So even as time passes, now and again we can still see each other."

Ike smiled lightly, ruffling Pit's hair. "Thank you Pit." He couldn't express how much that really made him feel. He was giddy at the thought that this wasn't the last chance he'd have to talk to the cherub.

"My other wish," Pit suddenly piped up, Ike snapped back to attention.

"My other wish was to give you something that you can love as much as me, something that we could never have." Pit smiled up at Ike, "Something that will teach you more than I could, and something you can look at and never forget me."

Ike chuckled, "I'd never forget you Pit, you know that." He reminded, Pit pouted.

"Well, forget the forgetting, what about 'something that you can look at to remind you of me when you miss me', Is that better?" Pit asked, poking Ike's chest.

Ike beamed, Pit sighed before giggling.

"Now, you'll only get this when you go back to the mansion." Pit warned, "And only if you visit our tree every night until you're better, understood?"

Ike nodded and straightened himself, "Yes, I understand all my objectives." He said seriously, slightly snickering during.

Pit laughed before pausing. "One last thing Ike." He chirped.

"Yes?" Ike asked, staring down at his love.

Pit jumped up and kissed Ike, as if he was making the memory last before he pulled back and winked.

"You gotta come up with a nice name for him, got it?"

Ike was just about to ask before the feathers flew in around him. When he'd opened his eyes again he was before the goddess Palutena, but the tingle of Pit's warmth was still there.

Palutena smiled at Ike. "_It's time for you to leave." _She informed.

Ike didn't feel sad at all. "_But before you go," _She spoke, halting Marth and Link from moving. She smiled softly. _"As a parting gift, we will heal your wounds."_

Palutena proceeded to bend down and kiss Ike's forehead. The sensation of pain leaving him was unreal, but he welcomed the relief greatly.

He turned back to see a blushing Marth accepting his kiss from a small angel, which Ike recognized as the one who'd taken a crash landing on the prince earlier- and Link, trying to persuade an angel to let him keep the bow.

"_Goodbye, and good luck."_ Palutena farewelled. Ike nodded and began his course back through the cloudy terrain towards the golden gates, his friends in tow as they left the dream like world above the clouds, back into the reality which was now their home.

--------

AN-

and it...it's over....  
BAAW.

But I guess it's a happy ending. I wanted to make it much, much more dramatic, but things went downhill ever since Mario made his stupid appearance 8C I do not liek mario.

It's longer than the other chapters YAY! Oh, but this isn't the complete end just yet, oh no, fufufufufufu...

I LOVE YOU ALL FOR READING THIS 3 And for sticking with me and the three months of nothing between chapters.

I LOVE YOU ALL! And I apologize for any spelling errors in this. Thank you for reading my story 333


	18. Epilogue

Ike sighed as he made his way out of the mansion. He'd had enough of Master Hand's lectures, and it slightly annoyed him that Link and Marth managed to get out of them, using a certain red-headed boy as an excuse.

He loved the garden at sunset. It was peaceful, especially today since all the brawlers were inside to escape the cold bite of a coming winter.

It had been nearly a month. A month since everything had happened, since he'd saved Skyworld, since he'd said his goodbyes to Pit.

Things had changed around the mansion. Where the maze once was, Princess peach had turned into a flower haven, reconstructing the fountain which only a few of them ever saw. Even Marth had slightly become overly protective of everyone, whisperers dubbing him Queen Martha.

He still remembered the wish Pit had made for him, the wish which caused him to come out into the garden to visit their special place, the tree formed from an apple. But he was beginning to think that maybe the tree itself was the wish, because every starry night he spent with it, it reminded him of his days with Pit.

But now, as he crossed the large expanse of grass, Ike noticed with a shock which nearly gave him a heart attack, that the tree was gone.

He ran to the exact spot where it had once stood, happily swinging in the breeze, but not a single trace even hinted that there had once been something there.

He frantically looked around. Not even a leaf remained.

With a broken gasp he fell to his knees. He didn't understand, how could something which was so dear to both he and Pit, simply disappear?

A small feather floated down in front of his vision, a small aqua feather which caused his eyes to shoot up.

He met the soft eyes of a woman, which took him a moment longer to guess who it was, with help from her long, green hair.

"_And with this, Pit's final wish is fulfilled."_ She said softly.

Ike only noticed the small bundle she was holding as she held it out to him. Without thinking he took it in his arms and she was gone.

Ike stared at where she had just been for a few stunned minutes, but a sudden cry broke his concentration.

With wide eyes he looked down at his arms. Tucked within a blanket of gold and white, a small, blue haired baby rested, crying its eyes out as it squirmed and wriggled within his grasp.

Ike nearly dropped the child, but he tightened his grip and sat back on the grass, instantly attempting to soothe the child.

Its cries slowly began to cease, wide blue eyes opening as the baby sniffled and hiccupped. Ike caught his breath as he stared down into the endless cerulean blue, the same cerulean eyes Pit had.

The baby stared back before slowly lifting chubby little arms, opening and closing its hands at Ike.

Ike didn't understand the grabby-hand motion and realized it too late as the baby grabbed hold of a few locks of his hair and began to tug, not hard, but enough to cause Ike to flinch.

"W-why would Palutena send me a baby?" Ike wondered, asking thin air as he pried the small hands from his hair only to have them latch onto his fingers.

"_And with this, Pit's final wish is fulfilled."_

Ike kept replaying what she'd said as he stared down at the child. Then it struck him.

"…Something I can love as much as Pit…Something we both couldn't have…" He unraveled, staring down at the child with new light.

"_One last thing Ike. You gotta come up with a nice name for him, got it?"_

He was dumbstruck.

The baby began to whine and babble at Ike's lack of response and pouted before sticking one of Ike's fingers in its mouth. Ike jumped at the motion, trying to pull his finger back.

The baby babbled again before wriggling, crying out words Ike didn't understand, but the strange sensation of something else wiggling in his palm got the point across to the mercenary.

He quickly unclasped the red jewel trying the cloth together and watched as the baby kicked and wriggled it off. With delicate hands, Ike placed the baby on the ground, amongst the white and gold heap.

Small little flapping sounds erupted from within the blanket as the baby whined loudly, trying to roll off of its back, Ike assisting it in sitting up.

He'd never seen such fluffy little wings before in his life. It was as if a blue chicken had attached itself onto the baby's back and then been washed with fabric softener.

The child began flapping its wings frantically at the loss of attention, bobbing up and down as it began the grabby hand motion again.

"What do you want?" Ike asked, confused as the baby began yelling at him. With a sigh he scooped the baby up into the cloth again, standing as he watched the boy erupt into squeals of joy.

Ike smiled softly. He didn't expect Pit to send down a baby to keep him company, let alone one which looked like the angel'd smeared his and Ike's photo's together to get this as a result. He chuckled and poked the cherubs' nose, marveling as the small bundle wriggled it and squealed in confusion.

"I guess Pit left me the task of naming you, huh?" He sighed, tucking the cloth around the child as he started back to the mansion. "I wonder what would suit you though. Marth would be thrilled if it was something cute…"

Ike paused mid step, a genius idea, in his opinion, striking him.

He stared down at the baby, who in return stared back, a big smile on its face as it babbled childishly.

"Pike," Ike breathed, hugging the boy closer and kissing its nose lovingly, "I'll name you Pike."

The baby laughed and clapped and Ike laughed along with it. He couldn't deny Pit's choice of names, and Pike…well, it fit the baby perfectly as even the mirror image of him and his lover was stuck to the boy.

He'd accept full responsibility for the child, he'd let Marth spoil Pike now and again but he'd keep always make sure the prince didn't do anything weird. He would teach Pike how to fight, fly and everything in between.

He'd show him photo's of Pit and tell him stories every day. Ike wasn't afraid of raising a child, not anymore, and even if his child was an angel, he knew he couldn't go _too_ wrong while bringing him up, after all- he had Zelda and Peach there too.

As he merrily made his way inside to the warm atmosphere he'd receive upon the revealing of his son, he forgot one small detail.

The brawl Mansion was nothing like in his thoughts, and Marth, Peach and Zelda were no pushovers when it came to smothering small, adorable fluffy things

-especially small, adorable, fluffy babies.


End file.
